First lady Melania Trump announced on Thursday that she helped reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families.
This marks the third time she has helped reunite children with their families since the war between Russia and Ukraine began.
“I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,” Trump said in a press release.
The first lady encouraged Russia and Ukraine to continue cooperating to reunite families. The number of children reunited was not shared in the press release.
“Although all parties are cooperating and our communications remain robust, I urge Russia and Ukraine to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child to their families and guardians,” she said.
Trump said she has “no doubt” that more “progress” will come.
The first lady has made the reunification of children from the conflict a priority since the start of the second Trump administration. In August, she wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin urging the protection of children and to “single-handedly restore their melodic laughter.”
She announced in December that seven Ukrainian children — six boys and one girl — were returned with their families, in addition to the eight children that had been returned to their families in November after she opened a line of communication with the Kremlin.
There is no official report on the number of children abducted, but Ukrainian officials believe it to be around 19,500, while some think it could be significantly higher.
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The announcement comes after Russia launched another strike on Ukraine with 219 drones and 24 ballistic missiles hitting various cities throughout the country, killing two people and injuring 10.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to end the war between the countries.