Six Ukrainian children will be returned from Russia and reunited with their families in Ukraine, the White House said on Thursday. A seventh Ukrainian child will be brought home to family members later this month as part of what the White House described as the fourth reunification facilitated by US First Lady Melania Trump.
“Reunifying children with their loved ones in this region of the world remains one of the most important global issues today. I am encouraged that both sides remain committed to ongoing cooperation, raising the safety and well-being of children above this abhorrent war.”
The return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia remains one of the most emotionally charged issues arising from Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian officials estimate that nearly 20,000 children have been illegally deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-controlled territories since 2022. Moscow says the children were moved for their own safety.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of responsibility for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.
A United Nations-mandated inquiry has also concluded that the deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities amounted to crimes against humanity.
Ukraine has repeatedly said that the return of abducted children is a core humanitarian priority and a non-negotiable part of any just peace. Officials in Kyiv and advocacy groups have argued that many children taken to Russia have been subjected to political indoctrination, changes to citizenship status, and barriers to contact with their families.
The latest White House announcement came after the US State Department said on March 27 that it would provide $25 million in new assistance to support the identification, return, and rehabilitation of Ukrainian children. According to the State Department, the funding will support programs to identify and track children who were forcibly transferred from their homes, and will also help the Ukrainian government and local partners care for children once they are returned.
First Lady Olena Zelenska thanked the US administration and Congress for making the issue a priority and wrote on X: “Behind every number is a child, a family, a life waiting to be restored. Every Ukrainian child must come home.”
Zelenska has also publicly commended Melania Trump for her humanitarian efforts. During a 2025 Oval Office meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented a letter from Zelenska thanking Trump for her involvement.
Zelenska described the abduction of children as “one of the most painful and difficult issues of this war,” adding that “her voice matters, and gives strength to this cause.”
The US first lady has taken a more direct role than many expected. She said she established an open line of communication with Putin after sending him a personal “peace letter” in August 2025.
In the letter, she appealed to humanitarian values, writing that protecting children’s innocence would serve not only Russia, but “humanity.” She also said that every child deserves “love, possibility and safety from danger.”
Personal diplomacy between the two first ladies has also contributed to the effort. Zelenska and Melania Trump met in September 2025 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where they discussed strategies to protect children affected by the war.
Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative said on March 27 that more than 2,000 children had been returned so far.
Russia did not immediately comment on Thursday’s announcement.