The office of US First Lady Melania Trump announced a fifth group of Ukrainian and Russian children has been reunited with their families. The returnees are the first since April, according to the White House.
The reunification program began in October 2025 after US President Donald Trump hand-delivered a note to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their August 2025 summit in Alaska. The White House reports that around 30 Ukrainian children have been reunited with their families through the program so far.
Reunited with support from US First Lady Melania Trump, according to Russia's children's rights commissioner.
Russia's children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova provided different figures than the White House. She said one child has been reunited and four are in the process of being reunited with relatives in Russia, Ukraine and Germany. Lvova-Belova stated that a total of 31 children from 23 families have been reunited with relatives in Russia, while 145 children from 118 families have been reunited with relatives in Ukraine and third countries.
Among the reunited children, a 5-year-old boy returned to Russia to be with his mother after staying with his father in Ukraine since 2020, following the father's death. A 9-year-old girl who had been staying with her grandmother in Russia since 2023 is returning to her mother in Germany.
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Lvova-Belova thanked Melania Trump and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their support. Moscow stated it has evacuated children from war zones for their safety and facilitates family reunifications upon request. Ukraine accuses Russia of taking children unlawfully.
Lvova-Belova stated that reunifications are carried out following requests from parents or close relatives and with consideration for children's interests.