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By Andrew Stanton
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First lady Melania Trump revealed that she received a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin during an interview on Fox Business's Mornings With Maria on Thursday morning.
Why It Matters
The first lady sat down with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo ahead of the release of her documentary, Melania. During the interview, she discussed her focus on children's well-being, including her support for family reunification in Ukraine.
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Ukrainian authorities have alleged that tens of thousands of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped by Russian authorities and taken either to Russia or to areas of Ukraine under Russian control amid the conflict, which began in 2022.
What To Know
President Donald Trump met with Putin in August and gave him a letter from Melania raising the plight of Ukrainian children who have been allegedly taken from their families. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin in response to the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children. Russian authorities said children were removed from war zones for their own safety and described the warrant as "outrageous and unacceptable."
The first lady told Bartiromo that her letter to Putin urged the Russian leader to protect the "innocence" of children born in Ukraine.
"[Putin] wrote a letter back to me. My representative is in contact with them, and we are still working on uniting more children," she said. "I hope soon we will have great success again. It's great to see all these children and parents especially happy. Of course, you want to be with your child."
She did not reveal exactly what Putin wrote in his letter.
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In her letter, the first lady said that every child dreams of "love, possibility, and safety from danger."
"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 comforts 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 is perfectly guarded."
She said that some children "are forced to carry a quiet laughter," and that Putin "can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter."
"in protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russian 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," she wrote.
How Many Tickets Has 'Melania' Sold?
The first lady's documentary is expected to sell about $5 million in tickets this weekend, according to The New York Times, citing advance ticket sales. It is playing in about 1,700 theaters across the United States and Canada.
President Trump told reporters earlier in January that the film is "incredible" and that "everybody wants tickets" to see it.
Amazon MGM Studios acquired the film for a reported $40 million, making it one of the largest licensing deals for a political documentary. It is about 104 minutes long and documents the first lady in the days leading up to the president's inauguration.
An Amazon spokesperson previously told Newsweek the company is "excited to share this truly unique story with our millions of customers around the world."
What People Are Saying
First lady Melania Trump said of her husband during the Fox Business interview: "I give him my advice, and we talk about that, and we could see that the country is divided. It's very hard; no matter what he says, they don't like to listen. What's going on in our country now, I feel that it's a lot of pushback and I hope it stops."
Update 1/29/26, 10:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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