First Lady Melania Trump sent what is being called a “peace letter” to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his meeting in Alaska with President Donald Trump, where they discussed what steps needed to be taken to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The president, according to a report published Saturday by Fox News Digital, hand-delivered the missive — and the Russian leader read it prior to the much-touted summit on Friday.
In the letter, the First Lady called on Putin to be the one to take the first steps toward lasting peace with Ukraine, saying that children — regardless of where they happened to have been born — deserve better than countries and families torn apart by war.
Dear President Putin,
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.
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. 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.
A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity—an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology.
Trump went on to tell Putin that, should he finally put an end to the bloodshed, he would be able to restore the laughter of many children. “In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone—you serve humanity itself,” she added.
“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,” she concluded. “It is time.”
Following the summit, President Trump said that he felt confident the pair had made progress — although he cautioned that the negotiations were certainly not yet over.
“There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say. A couple of big ones that we haven’t quite gotten there, but we’ve made some headway. So, there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he said.
Trump announced via Truth Social on Saturday morning that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would travel to Washington on Monday, and if their meeting went well, he would broker another meeting that also included Putin.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 16, 2025