U.S. President Donald Trump hand-delivered a personal letter from First Lady Melania Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their 15 August summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, White House officials told Reuters. The letter, written in Slovene-born Melania Trump’s own hand, raised concern over Ukrainian children who have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. The officials declined to disclose the full contents of the message but said it called for the return of the children and highlighted the humanitarian impact of the war. Kyiv estimates that tens of thousands of minors have been removed without the consent of parents or guardians, actions Ukraine says constitute a war crime and meet the United Nations definition of genocide. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 alleging unlawful deportation of children. Trump and Putin met for nearly three hours but announced no cease-fire. According to ABC News, Putin pressed Ukraine to relinquish the entire Donetsk region in exchange for limiting further operations in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, a proposal Washington says will be relayed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump said only “very few” issues remained to reach a wider settlement. The symbolic hand-off of Melania Trump’s letter underscored continued international scrutiny of Russia’s handling of Ukrainian minors even as broader peace talks struggle to advance.