Trump delivers Melania's letter to Putin during Alaska meeting; Here's what it said
In the letter, Melania highlighted the tragedy of thousands of Ukrainian kids who have allegedly been kidnapped by Russian forces since Putin directed an all-out invasion in February 2022, the news agency reported, citing two White House sources.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian officials have abducted tens of thousands of Ukrainian kids and transported them to Russia or to regions of Ukraine that are under Russian control.
The International Criminal Court granted a warrant for Putin's arrest in March 2023 in connection with the suspected kidnapping of Ukrainian children. Children were taken out of battle zones for their own safety, according to Russian officials, who also called the arrest warrant 'outrageous and unacceptable.'
Also Read: US warns foreign workers of serious legal repercussions, citing recent H-2A visa violation; 'Aliens who fail to…'
What else we know about Melania's letter to Putin
Trump and Putin held a joint press conference in Alaska on Friday to talk about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Despite the fact that Putin did not commit to a ceasefire, Trump said that the negotiations had been 'very productive' and that there were 'many points we agreed on.'
Trump presented Putin with a letter from Melania that expressed worry for the plight of thousands of Ukrainian children who were allegedly taken from their homes by Russian authorities without their agreement, according to Reuters. The precise content of the letter has not been disclosed yet.
Kyiv claimed that the kidnapping of over 20,000 Ukrainian children since February 2022 qualified as genocide under the UN's criteria.
The US declared in June 2024 that it was aware of "credible reports" that Ukrainian infants were offered for adoption on Russian websites, calling the method 'despicable and appalling.'
As per British daily The Sun, several Ukrainian children who were kidnapped were made to sing the Russian national anthem and were not allowed to talk in their native language. However, Moscow claimed that the evacuation of children from war regions was a humanitarian action.
Speaking to the media, Trump said that his wife mentioned that Russia still bombs Ukrainian cities even after POTUS' phone conversations with Putin.
In July, Trump reportedly told USA Today: 'I go home, I tell the first lady, 'You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.' And she said, 'Oh really? Another city was just hit.'
Trump's wife has been the target of criticism from Russian official media in recent weeks; one well-known pro-regime TV host called her a 'Ukrainian agent.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
6 minutes ago
- First Post
Hungary's opposition leader tells Russia to avoid interfering in country's elections
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) had published a statement describing the opposition leader as being loyal to 'globalist elites' and alleging that the European Commission was considering 'regime change in Budapest' Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has sought assurances from Russia that it will refrain from interference in his country's politics, saying there would be no scope for meaningful cooperation without respecting its sovereignty. Earlier this week, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) published a statement describing Magyar as being loyal to 'globalist elites' and alleging that the European Commission was considering 'regime change in Budapest.' Magyar, whose Tisza Party is ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz in most polls ahead of parliamentary elections due next spring, published an open letter to Russia's ambassador in Hungary, asking what was the intended effect of the SVR statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I demand clear assurances that the Russian Federation will refrain from any actions that could be deemed as interference in Hungary's domestic politics, including disinformation campaigns, cyber operations or the intimidation of politicians and citizens,' Magyar said in the letter published on Facebook on Sunday (August 17). The Russian Embassy in Budapest did not immediately respond to emailed questions for comment. In power since 2010, Orban has been criticised by some fellow EU leaders for his government's warm ties with Moscow and opposition to military aid for Ukraine. Orban has also accused EU leaders of plotting to topple him. Magyar, a former government insider, has previously said he would strive for 'pragmatic relations' with Russia, which supplies Hungary with most of its energy and is also involved in an expansion of its Paks nuclear plant. He said the SVR's statement showed Russia was trying to intervene directly to sway voters in Hungary, which is a member of the NATO military alliance but which under Orban has refused to send weapons to neighbouring Ukraine. 'Hungary's sovereignty and the inviolability of our democratic processes cannot be negotiable. Adherence to these principles is the minimum requirement for any meaningful bilateral cooperation between our countries,' Magyar said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Hindustan Times
6 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
NATO-like protection in focus for Trump meeting with Ukraine, Europe
By Trevor Hunnicutt and David Ljunggren NATO-like protection in focus for Trump meeting with Ukraine, Europe -U.S. President Donald Trump could offer NATO-like protection of Ukraine, and Russia is open to the idea, one of his top foreign policy officials said on Sunday ahead of a meeting with Ukraine and European leaders to hammer out details of possible security guarantees for Kyiv. "We were able to win the following concession, that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection," Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to Russia, told CNN's "State of the Union" program. "The United States could offer Article 5 protection, which was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that." Witkoff was referring to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which regards any attack against one of its 32 members as an attack on all. He suggested that a security guarantee of that scale could be offered to Ukraine in lieu of NATO membership, which Putin has ruled out. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been gradually advancing for months in the deadliest war in Europe for 80 years, Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were both in the room when Trump met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, gave a series of TV interviews ahead of a Monday meeting in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and leaders of some European allies. 'We made some progress, we believe, and now we have to follow up on that progress," Rubio told CNN's "State of the Union" about the meeting with Putin. "Ultimately, where this should lead is to a meeting between the three leaders, between Zelenskiy, Putin and President Trump, where we can finalize, but we got to get this thing closer before we get to that point." Russian officials are opposed to Western troops in Ukraine, but have not ruled out a security guarantee for Kyiv. Speaking during a joint media appearance with Trump after their nearly three-hour long meeting, Putin said on Friday: "I agree with President Trump. He said today that Ukraine's security must be ensured by all means. Of course, we are ready to work on this." Witkoff told "Fox News Sunday" that Russia had also agreed to passing a law against taking any more of Ukraine by force. "The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that would prevent them from - or that they would attest to not attempting to take any more land from Ukraine after a peace deal, where they would attest to not violating any European borders," he said. PEACE DEAL VS SURRENDER Any security guarantees offered to Zelenskiy could also include a commitment from the United States, Rubio told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures", an option that many of Trump's MAGA supporters have rejected up to now. "It would be a very big move by the president, if he were to offer a U.S. commitment to a security guarantee," Rubio said. "It tells you how badly he wants peace, how much he values peace, that he would be willing to make a concession like that ...That's what we'll talk about tomorrow." In a social media post, Trump wrote, "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" But he gave no details. Rubio said U.S. officials discussed security details for Ukraine with the national security advisers of multiple European countries on Saturday, adding that the aim would be to build in details that could ultimately be presented to Russia as part of a peace agreement. He told Fox News that the talks between Trump and Putin on Friday had narrowed the number of key issues, which include drawing borders and military alliances for Ukraine as well as security guarantees. "There's a lot of work that remains," Rubio added. According to sources, Trump and Putin discussed proposals for Russia to relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding a swathe of fortified land in the east and freezing the front lines elsewhere. Rubio said Russia and Ukraine would not be able to get everything they want. 'If one side gets everything they want, that's not a peace deal. It's called surrender, and I don't think this is a war that's going to end anytime soon on the basis of surrender,' Rubio told CNN. In a separate interview on ABC, Rubio said if a deal could not be reached to end the war, existing U.S. sanctions on Russia would continue, and more could be added. When Zelenskiy visited the White House in February, the meeting ended in a shouting match. Rubio, speaking to CBS, dismissed the idea that the European leaders were coming to Washington to protect Zelenskiy. "They're not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskiy from being bullied. They're coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans," he said. "We invited them to come." This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
6 minutes ago
- First Post
Putin briefs Belarus, Kazakhstan leaders on Trump summit, calls talks ‘useful' for Ukraine peace
President Vladimir Putin spoke to the leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan on Sunday to update them on the summit with U.S. President Donald Trump which the Kremlin has cast as a potentially significant stepping stone towards peace in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday spoke with the leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan to share details of his meeting with US President Donald Trump, which Moscow has described as an important step toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine. The Alaska summit, the first US-Russia meeting at this level in more than four years, was followed by consultations with senior Russian officials in the Kremlin on Saturday. Putin called the discussions 'timely and very useful,' saying both sides explored the possibility of ending the war on what he termed a 'fair basis' while addressing its underlying causes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time. I repeat once again: there was an opportunity to calmly and in detail once again set out our position,' Putin told Russian officials. 'We, of course, respect the position of the American administration, which sees the need for a speedy end to military action. Well, we would also like this and would like to move on to resolving all issues by peaceful means.' The press service of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Putin had discussed the talks in Alaska. 'Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart in detail about the results of the last Russia-US summit,' the Lukashenko's press service said. Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's press service said that Russia-U.S. talks 'contributed to a better understanding of the American side of the Russian position on Ukraine.'
