President Donald Trump said he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been discussing the global issue of missing children.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump called it "a subject at the top of all lists."
Von der Leyen touched on the topic earlier Monday at the White House during talks with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the next steps in the peace process with Russia.
"Every single child has to go back to its family. This should be one of our main priorities in these negotiations," von der Leyen said.
"Ursula von der Leyen, the distinguished and Highly Respected President of the European Commission, and I have been discussing the massive Worldwide problem of missing children. This is, likewise, a big subject with my wife, Melania. It is a subject at the top of all lists, and the World will work together to solve it, hopefully bringing them home to their families!" Trump said in the post.
First lady Melania Trump raised the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia in a personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which President Trump hand-delivered during their summit in Alaska on Friday.
"In protecting the innocence of these children, 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 the pen today. It is time," Melania Trump wrote.
Ukrainian officials have reported 19,546 confirmed cases of children forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-occupied territories since February 2022. Ukraine and partner organizations have managed to repatriate a fraction of the abducted children — about 1,200 to 1,400 so far.
Zelenskyy said last week that returning abducted children must be part of any peace agreement.
"We cannot reach an agreement with [Russia] on the return of children," Zelenskyy told NewsNation. "We negotiate through other countries that carry out mediation missions. The most successful have been the Qataris. So far, they've been helping us."
A Yale Humanitarian Research Lab found that Russia operates more than 40 reeducation facilities where children are forced to adopt Russian names, speak only in Russian, follow a Russian curriculum, and even receive military-style or patriotic indoctrination.
Newsmax wires contributed to this report.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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