Did Zelensky Thank Melania Trump for Her Letter to Putin?

Washington, Aug 19 (NationPress) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commenced his private meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday by expressing gratitude to First Lady Melania Trump for her heartfelt letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, advocating for peace on behalf of the children affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russia.

Although Melania did not accompany her husband to his summit with Putin last week in Anchorage, Alaska, Zelensky conveyed to Trump that both he and his spouse, Olena Zelenska, were touched by her letter. He stated, "Many thanks to your wife, First Lady of the United States," while handing him a letter to return to her. "It's not to you, (it's) to your wife," he added, prompting laughter from Trump and the attending press.

In her letter dated August 15, Melania expressed, "Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or a magnificent city-centre. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger."

Born and raised in communist Yugoslavia, Melania, now 55, left to pursue a modeling career in the early 1990s, just as her homeland faced destabilization, leading to inter-ethnic conflicts and the emergence of several successor states, thereby making her a modern-day citizen of Slovenia.

In her correspondence, the First Lady urged Putin to safeguard the "innocence" of children in war-torn regions. "As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation's hope," she wrote. "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."

She emphasized, "By doing so, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself... Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of a pen today. It is time."

Despite Melania's heartfelt letter and Trump's insistence on "severe consequences" if Putin failed to agree to a ceasefire, the nearly three-hour meeting on August 15 concluded without an agreement to end the war.

Trump remarked, "There's no deal until there's a deal," after Putin suggested that both leaders had reached "an understanding." Nevertheless, he described the meeting as having made "great progress," rating it a 10 out of 10.

Following their discussion on Monday, Trump and Zelensky addressed reporters, during which Trump indicated he planned to call Putin after meeting with the larger assembly of European leaders accompanying the Ukrainian President to the White House.

This group included NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The leaders posed for a "family photo" before engaging in discussions regarding Ukraine's security. Zelensky remarked that his meeting with Trump was "productive," while Trump expressed intentions to facilitate a meeting between Putin and Zelensky after their discussions.

Trump later retracted his initial notion of a ceasefire during talks with European leaders, hinting that Putin was not interested. Despite several world leaders present advocating that negotiations with Russia should not proceed until a ceasefire is achieved, Trump maintained that such an agreement was unlikely and unnecessary for reaching eventual peace.