Melania Trump helped bring more than 20 Ukrainian children back from Russia
This is according to The Telegraph.
The return of the children was a personal initiative by Melania Trump
According to Mark Beckman, senior adviser to the First Lady, the stories of Ukrainian children who have fallen victim to the war deeply moved Melania Trump.
“The images she saw and the plight of children displaced by the war really affected her,” said Beckman.
He noted that the First Lady is paying particular attention to this issue and is keen to help return as many children as possible to their families. According to the publication, it was Melania Trump’s office that coordinated this work on behalf of the US, rather than the State Department.
Over 19,000 Ukrainian children were illegally taken away
American researchers have identified more than 210 locations within Russia to which Ukrainian children were taken. According to their data, there they underwent military training, took part in the production of drones, or were held in so-called ‘re-education’ centres.
Ukraine considers the forced removal of at least 19,000 children to be a war crime and an act of genocide. It was precisely the illegal deportation of children that became one of the grounds for the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in 2023.
Melania called on Trump to take a tougher stance
The Telegraph also reports that last August, Melania Trump wrote to Vladimir Putin, urging him to end the war for the sake of Ukrainian children. She later reported that, following contacts with the Russian side, eight children had been returned, with several more following in the months that followed.
Furthermore, according to the publication, it was Melania Trump who persuaded US President Donald Trump to take a tougher stance towards the Kremlin. She emphasised that Moscow’s statements about peace should not be trusted whilst Russia continues to shell Ukrainian cities.
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