First Lady Melania Trump has revealed that she is in contact with Vladimir Putin and has been requesting him to release the Ukrainian children captured in Russia during a press meeting held at the White House. Melania’s big reveal comes at a time of international concern over the safety of thousands of children who had been abducted from Ukraine since Russia announced the invasion of the country back in 2022.
During the meeting, one reporter asked Melania Trump if Putin had communicated about the captured Ukrainian children. He asked, “Has President Putin agreed to release any more Ukrainian children?” Melania replied, “I’m working on it. I’m working on it, and we are in the process. So I hope we have success very soon. I will keep you posted.”
.@FLOTUS Melania Trump engaged in a private meeting at @WhiteHouse with freed American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel. The First Lady’s sit-down with Aviva Siegel in January 2025 sparked a series of events that ultimately led to Keith’s liberation from Hamas. pic.twitter.com/ZYDJBBA77P
— Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) February 4, 2026
An East Wing spokesman confirmed that Melania Trump wrote a letter to President Putin, inquiring specifically about the abducted children and their release from Russia. The letter was hand-delivered by President Trump at the Russia-United States Summit, held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025.
First Lady Melania Trump’s letter to President Vladimir Putin. A plea for the children of Ukraine. ❤️ @MELANIATRUMP pic.twitter.com/gNjuDfhHxL
— Cheryl Bean for Texas (@cherylbeantx) August 17, 2025
Ukraine accuses Russia of abducting at least 19,000 of its children children from the country. Russia allegedly transported them to Russia or Russian-occupied territories since it occupied Ukraine in the February 2022 invasion. The children’s safety in the absence of their parents remains a matter of grave concern.
Russia, however, has refuted these claims, stating it provided safe shelter to the kids in light of the ongoing conflict between the two nations. Since Melania Trump’s interference, 15 children could successfully return to Ukraine, including seven of them who were sent home in December 2025.
Q: Has President Putin agreed to release more Ukrainian children?
MELANIA TRUMP: I’m working on it pic.twitter.com/YsdskiYfqv
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 4, 2026
On Wednesday, Russian and Ukrainian officials met and held discussions, in an attempt to resolve the conflict, The Independent reported.
Melania Trump held the press conference at the White House. She introduced Aviva Siegel and Keith Siegel, the Israeli Americans who were captured by Hamas. They ended up spending 51 and 484 days, respectively, in confinement as hostages. Melania recalls Aviva calling her after being freed from confinement. She calls the meeting “emotional,” and Aviva “a warrior.” FLOTUS claims that the president had been fighting for all the hostages, and he managed to free them all and reunite them with their families.
She also mentions that these interactions have been portrayed beautifully in her documentary film. Some are calling the press conference a strategic move by the First Lady to promote her movie. Melania Trump, however, refuted these claims, stating she only wanted to celebrate the freed hostages.
