Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opened his one-on-one meeting with President Donald Trump
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WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opened his one-on-one meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday by thanking the First Lady Melania Trump for sending a personal letter to the Russian President Vladimir Putin pleading for peace on behalf of the children in Ukraine and Russia, who are suffering amid the ongoing war.
Earlier, taking to social media platform X, Zelensky wrote: "I want to thank Melania Trump for her attention to one of the most painful and difficult issues of this war – the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia. We deeply appreciate her compassion and her letter to Putin. This issue lies at the very heart of the humanitarian tragedy of the war – our children, broken families, the pain of separation. At least 20,000 children have been taken away. I asked President Trump to convey a letter of gratitude from Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, to Melania. Melania’s voice matters, and her care adds strength to this cause."
He also wrote: "We are tirelessly working to bring every child back home. The same applies to our prisoners of war and civilians who have been held in Russia for years – some since 2014 – in very harsh conditions. Thousands of people still need to be freed, and this is part of establishing peace. We will work toward an agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war in the “all for all” format, and we are grateful to have strong friends who help."
Melania did not, however, travel with her husband for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week in Anchorage, Alaska.
Zelensky told Trump that both he and his wife, Olena Zelenska, were moved by the letter, saying, "many thanks to your wife, first lady of the United States," and presenting him with a letter to give her in return.
"It's not to you, (it's) to your wife," he cautioned, earning a laugh from the US President and gathered press.
In her Aug 15 letter, Melania wrote, "Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or a magnificent city-centre. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger."
Melania, 55, was born and raised in communist Yugoslavia, leaving to work as a model in the early 1990s, just as the country began to destabilise, descending into a decade of inter-ethnic wars and ultimately splitting into multiple successor states, making the First Lady a modern-day citizen of Slovenia.
In her letter, the First Lady urged Putin to protect the "innocence" of the children in the war-torn countries.
"As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation's hope," her letter said.
"As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few. Undeniably, we must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all — so that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded."
In doing so, she added, "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 a pen today. It is time."
Despite the letter, and President Trump's insistence that there would be "severe consequences" if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire, the leaders left the nearly three-hour meeting on August 15 without an agreement to end the war.
“There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump said, after Putin claimed the two world leaders had reached "an understanding".
However, the US President also told reporters that the two made "great progress" and rated the summit a 10 out of 10.
"We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left," he said.
"Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant."
Following their sit-down on Monday, Trump and Zelensky took questions from reporters, during which the US President said he planned to call Putin after meeting with the larger group of European leaders that accompanied the Ukrainian President to the White House.
The European leaders included NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The group posed for a "family photo" before sitting down together in the East Room to discuss Ukraine's security.
Zelensky told the leaders that he and Trump had a "productive" meeting, and the US President told the group that he planned to facilitate a meeting between Putin and the Ukrainian President following their discussions.
Trump also walked back his initial idea of a ceasefire while speaking with the European leaders, alluding that Putin was not interested.
Despite several heads of state in the room saying that negotiations with Russia should not be allowed to continue until a ceasefire is reached, Trump insisted that it was unlikely to happen and unnecessary for reaching eventual peace.