Melania Trump Wrote a Personal Letter to Vladimir Putin for Donald to Hand Over During Alaska Summit

Melania Trump wrote a personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin that her husband, President Donald Trump, hand-delivered during the Alaska summit.

In her letter, the first lady, 55, addressed the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia, two White House officials said, per Reuters. Donald, 79, gave the letter to Putin, 72, during their sit-down in Alaska, which took place on Friday, Aug. 15, at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.

Melania was not on the trip.

According to Reuters, the White House officials did not reveal the contents of the first lady’s letter other than to say it mentioned the abductions of children amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Following Friday’s nearly three-hour meeting, Donald announced that he failed to secure an agreement from Putin to end the war.

“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Donald said, after Putin claimed the two world leaders had reached “an understanding,” per the Associated Press.

Donald also said he planned to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders on the talks with Putin.

Donald offered mixed messages about the meeting earlier in the week. After announcing the recipients of the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, the president began a political press conference in which he told reporters that there would be “consequences” if Putin refused to stop the war in Ukraine after their meeting on Friday.

“I don’t have to say [what they are],” the president said, “but there will be very severe consequences, yes.”

However, when later pressed by another reporter if he thought he could convince Putin to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine, he admitted, “The answer is no.”

“I’ve had a lot of good conversations with him. Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are lying dead in the streets,” Donald said.

Earlier this month, Donald posted on social media that he had repositioned two nuclear submarines in relation to Russia after an online back-and-forth with Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who is now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

Following Donald’s July 28 statement about cutting Putin’s deadline to reach a peace deal with Ukraine, Medvedev wrote on X that “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia.”

“50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road,” he wrote, referring to former U.S. President Joe Biden.

Donald replied on Truth Social, writing, “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev… I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

Donald’s failure to bring an end to the deadly conflict between Russia and Ukraine has forced him to walk back certain statements he made during his 2024 presidential campaign.

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In March of this year, ahead of a scheduled call with Putin, the president was asked about his campaign promise that he would end the war within 24 hours of taking office.

“Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic when I said that,” Donald said in an interview on Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson. “What I really mean is I’d like to get it settled and… I think I’ll be successful.”