President Donald Trump personally delivered a letter from First Lady Melania Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing the ongoing crisis of abducted Ukrainian children, during their high-profile meeting.
The letter, reportedly penned by Melania herself, expresses deep concern over the forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-controlled areas, a practice that has drawn international condemnation. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of war crimes related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.
White House officials confirmed that President Trump handed over the letter to President Putin during their nearly three-hour meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. This comes as Melania is being hailed as an ‘undercover agent’ for her role in shifting US policy on Ukraine.
While the exact content of the letter remains undisclosed, its delivery suggests the first lady’s personal and political interest in Eastern European affairs, particularly concerning her home country, Slovenia, which maintains tense relations with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Melania has typically maintained a reserved presence during her husband’s presidency, concentrating on programs like her “Be Best” initiative instead of diving into political or policy matters. Her public engagements have frequently revolved around ceremonial responsibilities or charitable causes, with minimal involvement in everyday political battles.
One of her most extensively debated incidents occurred during Trump’s initial presidency in 2018, when she donned a jacket bearing the message “I really don’t care, do u?” while visiting a Texas facility housing migrant children who had been separated from their families. The wardrobe selection immediately captured attention and triggered extensive debate about her participation in political matters.
She is also infrequently spotted beside former President Trump in public venues. Whether at campaign events, official gatherings, or media conferences, Melania tends to make selective appearances, establishing a noticeable gap that has become a defining characteristic of her role as First Lady.
This distance has only intensified speculation about her views and priorities, making this week’s reported involvement especially significant. Nevertheless, Trump disclosed earlier this year that Melania had been instrumental in urging him to work toward securing a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“My conversations with him [Putin] are always very pleasant. I say, isn’t that a very lovely conversation? And then the missiles go off that night,” Trump said at the White House last month. “I go home, I tell the first lady: ‘I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation’. She said: ‘Really? Another city was just hit’,” he added.
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin convened in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday (August 15) for a high-stakes summit designed to broker an end to the continuing conflict in Ukraine.
Although the gathering attracted considerable global scrutiny, it concluded without any major breakthrough, leaving Ukraine‘s war unresolved and sparking doubts about the viability of direct diplomatic engagement between the two leaders.
Following nearly three hours of private discussions, the meeting wrapped up without any tangible accord.
Both leaders characterized the exchanges as “productive” but provided no details regarding any advancement achieved.
Trump stressed the necessity for Ukraine to accept an agreement, declaring, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” while Putin restated Russia‘s stance on tackling the “root causes” of the dispute and guaranteeing Ukraine‘s security.
Some Ukrainians were outraged by the red carpet treatment and before the talks took place, president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine. We must prepare a trilateral format for talks.”
Witnesses at the Anchorage summit observed that both Trump and Putin seemed to be experiencing health issues. Putin’s sluggish movements, muted behavior, and obvious exhaustion raised questions about his physical state, while Trump’s unsteady gait and noticeably swollen ankles attracted comparable scrutiny.
Trump’s condition will undoubtedly fuel ongoing speculation about his health, which continues despite his defensive assertions otherwise. In April 2025, after a thorough medical evaluation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the White House published findings showing that Trump was in “excellent health” and “fully fit” to serve as president. It comes after Joe Rogan doubled down on a Donald Trump assassination conspiracy theory.