Trump hand-delivers Melania’s personal letter to Putin during Alaska summit

Officials said the letter raised the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia, though the full contents of the letter were not disclosed.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: August 17, 2025 11:30 AM IST

2 min read

Trump and Putin met for nearly three hours at a US military base in Anchorage. (Photo: Kremlin Pool Photo via AP/ This is a representational photo from July 2018)

US President Donald Trump personally delivered a letter from the First Lady Melania Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit in Alaska, two White House officials told Reuters on Saturday. Officials said the letter raised the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia.

Melania Trump was herself not present at the talks, and the full contents of the letter were not disclosed.

The abduction of children has been one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict. Ukraine has accused Moscow of forcibly taking tens of thousands of minors into Russia or Russian-occupied territories without parental consent, calling it a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide.

Moscow, in contrast, has argued it is evacuating vulnerable children from a war zone for their protection.

Also Read: | Russia-Ukraine war would not have happened if Trump was President in 2022: Putin in Alaska

The United Nations Human Rights Office has said that since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, millions of Ukrainian children have suffered and their rights have been systematically violated.

Trump and Putin met for nearly three hours at a US military base in Anchorage. Following the talks, Trump described the discussions as “extremely productive,” while acknowledging that “we’re not there yet” on reaching a final deal.

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In an interview with Fox News on Saturday, he rated the meeting a “10″ out of 10, calling it “very warm” that showed “very good progress” toward peace in Ukraine.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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