U.S. First Lady Aids in Reuniting Seven Ukrainian Children with Families Amid Ongoing Controversy

Russia has successfully facilitated the return of seven Ukrainian children to their families with the assistance of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, as announced by the White House on Thursday.

The children, consisting of six boys and one girl, were reunited with their families in Ukraine as part of Trump’s «reunification initiative.»

Maria Lvova-Belova, the Kremlin’s commissioner for children’s rights, confirmed the return and expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her “steadfast dedication and participation in this endeavor.”

In October, Trump revealed that she had been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin through a representative regarding the situation of Ukrainian children taken to Russia since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. She mentioned that Putin had replied to a letter she sent via her husband, former President Donald Trump, during a summit with him in Alaska in August.

Both Lvova-Belova and Putin are being sought by the International Criminal Court for their alleged roles in the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia, an act which prosecutors categorize as a war crime. Russia, which does not acknowledge the ICC’s authority, has dismissed these allegations.

Kyiv accuses Moscow of deporting over 19,000 children since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, a charge that Russia denies. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated on Thursday that only 1,850 children have been returned thus far.

On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution, supported by the United States, demanding that Russia promptly return all forcibly relocated Ukrainian children.