First lady Melania Trump wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting “it is time” to end Russia’s conflict with Ukraine in a letter hand-delivered by President Donald Trump.
Putin visited the United States on Friday, arriving in Alaska to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the war in what was Putin’s first meeting with a U.S. president since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The meeting did not result in an immediate peace deal.
“Dear President Putin,” the first lady wrote. “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.”
In the letter dated Friday, Melania Trump appealed to Putin’s sensibilities as a father of two daughters.
“As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation’s hope. As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few,” Melania Trump wrote.
“Yet in today’s world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them—a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future. Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter,” she said.
Melania Trump predicted that “protecting the innocence of these children” will not only benefit Russia but “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,” the first lady wrote. “It is time.”
According to the president, the first lady has voiced her opposition to the conflict as long as Donald Trump has been in contact with Putin, dating back to February of this year.
“I go home and tell the first lady, ‘I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.’ She says, ‘Oh really? Another [Ukrainian] city was just hit,’” Donald Trump said last month.
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The first lady seemingly has no personal relationship with the Russian president, but was involved in a meeting during her husband’s first presidential term. Donald Trump and Putin had gone over an hour longer in their very first meeting in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017, so U.S. officials sent in the first lady in an attempt to end the meeting, which went on for an hour longer after she had entered.
Moscow launched 85 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, according to the country’s air force, reportedly killing four on Friday night. Meanwhile, Russia’s air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.