One of the darkest chapters of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine will be his regime’s systematic abduction of Ukrainian children. Last week, first lady Melania Trump delivered a letter to Putin during the Alaska summit, appealing to him on behalf of these children. In it, she reminded the Russian dictator that “every child shares the same quiet dreams in their hearts … of love, possibility and safety from danger.” Her letter avoided politics, but made the clear point that abducting children is an act of barbarism that cannot be tolerated.
... As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation’s hope. 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. A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity — an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology.
In today’s world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them — a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future.
Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter. 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.
Ukraine has documented nearly 20,000 kidnapped children, though the true number could be many times higher. These boys and girls are not just displaced — they are forced into Russian families, indoctrinated with propaganda, punished for speaking their native tongue, and in some cases subjected to military training. Reports have even exposed online “catalogs” where children are sorted by eye color or hair color for adoption in Russia. This is not wartime collateral damage, but a deliberate campaign to erase a nation by erasing its children.
That should trouble every American who values liberty, justice, and the defense of the innocent.
To dismiss Ukraine’s struggle as “not our fight” is to ignore the reality that Putin is testing the free world. If he can abduct children by the tens of thousands without consequence, what will stop him from expanding his reach into NATO territory? Appeasement has never contained tyrants; it has only emboldened them.
Melania Trump was born in a communist country and understands what is at stake. Her words may have been couched in appeals to universal justice for innocent children, but they highlight a simple truth: Russia’s war is not just against soldiers on the battlefield. It is against families, culture, and human dignity.
If we fail to protect the most vulnerable victims of this war, we concede the field to tyranny.
(Official White House Photo)