Melania Trump says 8 Ukrainian children reunited with families after she talked to Putin

Melania Trump said eight Ukrainian children have been reunited with their families after months of direct talks between her and Vladimir Putin.

The First Lady wrote to the Russian dictator in August and had her husband, Donald, hand-deliver it during their summit in Alaska.

As many as 20,000 children are thought to be held inside Russia following Putin's illegal invasion.

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An investigation last month (SEP) found "grabbed" children are forced to undergo "re-education" - including military training.

The first lady, in a prepared statement at the White House yesterday (FRI), said Putin responded to her letter and after that, they had established an "open channel of communication" regarding the welfare of those children.

"We have agreed to cooperate with each other for the benefit of all people involved in this war," she said.

After the first reports of Ukrainian children being "grabbed" and taken to Russia, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, holding him personally responsible for the abductions.

The Mirror reported last month that investigators had identified more than 200 locations, including cadet schools, military bases, and other facilities being used as part of a mass deportation effort for the transfer of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Some of these locations appeared to be involved in systemic re-education activities. Military training was observed at 40 of these locations, including forced ceremonial parades and drills, combat training, and the assembly of drones and other equipment.

Top Ukrainian officials reacted with horror at the report.

Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said “This report demands action. Children are always the most vulnerable victims of armed conflict.

“Not only have these children undergone trauma and displacement, they have also suffered systemic deportation, illegal adoption, and forced assimilation. It’s now clear Russia plans to use Ukraine’s own children as a ‘weapon’ against us and Europe more broadly. This report provides irrefutable evidence contradicting Russian denials and misinformation about their handling of Ukraine’s children.”