As President Trump revealed a “productive” phone conversation with Russia’s Putin, he shared that the Russian leader had “thanked” Melania for her efforts concerning kidnapped Ukrainian children.
Trump posted on Truth Social, “President Putin, thank the First Lady, Melania, for her involvement with children. He was very appreciative and said that this will continue.”
The correspondence between Melania and Putin resulted in eight children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine conflict being reunited with their families.
Putin’s response followed a letter from Melania handed to him during his Alaska summit with Trump in August, amidst growing concerns over Donald’s health due to an unexplained visit.
“Since then, President Putin and I have maintained open communication regarding the welfare of these children.
“For the past three months, both sides have engaged in several back-channel meetings and calls, all in good faith,” the first lady revealed in a surprise TV interview last week, reports the Express US.
Last year, Leonid Pasechnik, the Kremlin-appointed leader of the Luhansk People’s Republic, announced that Russia planned to “host” over 12,000 children from the eastern Ukrainian region that summer.
Furthermore, a scheme named “Useful Vacations” was launched to sponsor 40,000 Ukrainian children to “visit” Russia for summer camps.
Some children were even scheduled to be taken as far as Vladivostok – situated 6,000 miles east of Ukraine and just north of North Korea.
Researchers at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have stated that the proposed “camps” are “a fundamental component of Russia’s campaign to deport Ukrainians, including children, to Russia.”