Overview
- The White House said a third set of children were reunited through the first lady’s initiative but did not disclose how many were returned.
- Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, echoed by envoy Kirill Dmitriev, reported six reunifications in this round, with five children returned to Ukraine and one to Russia.
- Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative later reported five children had been brought home, including three taken from a Kherson orphanage in 2022, and thanked international partners and Melania Trump for support.
- Independent outlets noted initial gaps in verification and the absence of detailed U.S. figures, as the effort unfolds against allegations that around 20,000 Ukrainian children were transferred to Russia and ICC warrants issued in 2023.
- Melania Trump has kept an open channel with Vladimir Putin since an August 2025 letter delivered by President Donald Trump, following earlier rounds that returned eight children in October and seven in December.