NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
First lady Melania Trump is taking a bigger role on the world stage, penning a personal appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to end the war in Ukraine on behalf of its youngest victims.
President Donald Trump spoke about his wife’s letter Tuesday on “Fox & Friends,” praising her call for peace.
“My wife, Melania, wrote that beautiful note to President Putin about children,” said Trump.
“The children are devastated. They’re taken away from their homes.”
FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP’S ‘PEACE LETTER’ TO PUTIN: ‘IT IS TIME’
President Trump convened a large group of prominent European leaders on Monday to discuss ongoing negotiations. Among those in attendance was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who delivered a sealed letter from his wife to First lady Melania Trump.
President Trump said that while he had not yet read the letter, Melania expressed her gratitude after receiving it.
“She gave a letter to Melania, and Melania told me it was absolutely a beautiful letter,” the president said, noting he plans to read it soon. Zelenskyy said the letter was meant to thank the first lady for raising awareness about children abducted from Ukraine.
“America’s Newsroom” anchor and “The Five” co-host Dana Perino believes the first lady’s letter to Putin likely played a role in moving the high-stakes negotiations forward.
“The first lady has had an influence here,” the former White House press secretary said on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday.
President Trump personally handed the letter to Putin during their meeting in Alaska on Friday. While no peace deal was struck, Trump said he is now in the process of arranging a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin.
“Melania Trump, I don’t know what she told her husband. But that letter that she gave to President Putin was very poignant,” said Perino, who explained the note clearly highlighted the Trump administration’s primary focus on protecting children.
“They are mission-focused on the innocents and the lives,” she said.
Fox News obtained a copy of the first lady’s letter, which centered on the plight of children in the region.
Mrs. Trump opened her letter with “Dear President Putin” and wrote:
ZELENSKYY URGES DIRECT TALKS WITH PUTIN AS TRUMP SETS PEACE DEADLINE
“Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger.”
The letter never mentions Ukraine by name but does focus on the world’s duty to protect all children and their future. At the end of the note, she closed by appealing directly to Putin.
“Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter,” the first lady wrote of children hurt by the war. “In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone—you serve humanity itself.”
“Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today,” she wrote.
“It is time.”
TRUMP REVEALS MELANIA’S KEY ROLE IN DEALING WITH PUTIN ON UKRAINE WAR
The topic of children abducted by Russia has been reported since the start of the conflict. Thousands of minors have been forcefully removed from their homes and brought to Russia.
Moscow argues the transfers are for the children’s well-being given Ukraine’s wartime conditions, but families insist they were taken without consent.
In June, members of Congress introduced a bipartisan resolution calling for the return of these children before any peace agreement is finalized.
Read the full article here
