Melania Trump Announces Next Family Reunification of Ukrainian and Russian Children
This is the fifth group of children the first lady has helped return to their loved ones.
Since returning to the White House for her husband’s second nonconsecutive term as president, First Lady Melania Trump has helped reunite groups of Ukrainian and Russian children separated by the Russian-led war between the two neighboring countries. On Thursday, Mrs. Trump announced that she helped facilitate a fifth group of Ukrainian and Russian children to be reunited with their loved ones. A total of five children were returned.
“While diplomacy and peace building are important to this effort, they are surpassed by our collective ability to place children above international disputes. Every reunion is a reminder that compassion, dignity, and family can transcend even the darkest of times: war,” Mrs. Trump said in a statement. “My representative and I continue working with the governments of Russia and Ukraine to safely return children to their families and communities.”
In April, Mrs. Trump helped reunite six Ukrainian children with their families, then her fourth effort assisting in the reunification of Ukrainian and Russian children.
In February, Mrs. Trump helped five Ukrainian children and one Russian child reunite with their families.
In December, the first lady orchestrated the reunification of seven Ukrainian children, six boys and one girl, with their families. In October, Mrs. Trump announced that her direct engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin prompted the reunification of eight children with their families. The first lady said then that she and Mr. Putin have maintained an “open channel of communication” regarding the welfare of the children.
To date, Mrs. Trump has reportedly helped reunify about 30 children caught in the conflict with their families, according to the White House.
The Ukrainian government says nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children were taken and they have been working ever since to bring them back. A Ukrainian website tracks the reunifications and showed as of Friday 2,414 children have been returned.
Last August, Mrs. Trump penned a letter to Mr. Putin, which was hand-delivered by President Trump during the Alaskan summit that took place in Anchorage. Then, she wrote that some children in the world “are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them.” She then urged the Russian president to act when she wrote: “Mr. Putin, you can single-handedly restore their melodic laughter.”
In October, Mrs. Trump said she and Putin have maintained an “open channel of communication” regarding the welfare of the children.
The Weekly Wrap
The Weekly Wrap is a collection of headlines from the past week. Some publications have paywalls.
Say It With History
The Power Behind the Presidency: Missy LeHand and Martha Washington with Kathryn Smith
July 31, 2026 – Author and history speaker Kathryn Smith joins Say It With History podcast host Holley Snaith to explore the life and legacy of Marguerite “Missy” LeHand and the overlooked women who shaped power behind the presidency. Together, they discuss Kathryn’s book The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR, and the Partnership that Defined a Presidency, the misconceptions surrounding Missy’s role in the Roosevelt White House, the significance of Warm Springs, and the parallels between Missy and Martha Washington as influential women working behind the scenes of history. Listen here
East Wing Magazine
It’s Time …
July 30, 2026 – Melania Trump announced on Monday that applications are now open for volunteers to help decorate the White House for Christmas. Read more
MS Now
Donald Trump v. Hillary Clinton Is Coming to the Supreme Court
July 30, 2026 – President Donald Trump wants to add another one of his personal cases to the Supreme Court’s docket: his bid to revive a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others, stemming from his complaint that ahead of the 2016 election, she conspired to “weave a false narrative” that his campaign colluded with Russia. Read more
The New York Times
Trump’s Ballroom Is Racing Ahead. Its Legality Is Still Being Contested.
July 29, 2026 – Construction of the White House ballroom and bunker complex that President Trump is building in place of the demolished East Wing has progressed since December, when a federal lawsuit first sought to halt it. The courts have broadly allowed construction to continue in spite of the lawsuit and one judge’s finding that the project required approval from Congress and was unlawful from the beginning. Read more
The New York Times
Michelle Obama and Justice Jackson Talk Work-Life Balance and Public Service
July 29, 2026 – One served eight years as the nation’s first lady. The other holds a lifetime appointment on the nation’s highest court. Both made history as the first Black women to serve in their respective high-ranking roles. Read more
IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Opens Up About Her Journey to the Supreme Court
July 29, 2026 – This week on IMO, Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson welcome Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about the experiences that shaped her journey to becoming the first Black woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. View here
People
Melania and Barron Trump Targeted for Assassination in Iran-Linked Video Detailing Areas the First Lady Frequents
July 29, 2026 – The Secret Service is investigating a video produced by Iran-linked propagandists that threatened to kill First Lady Melania Trump and 20-year-old Barron Trump, her son, with President Donald Trump. Read more
Newsweek
Where’s Melania? Absent From Lindsey Graham Funeral, Correspondents’ Dinner
July 28, 2026 – First Lady Melania Trump was absent from two high-profile Washington events in recent days: Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral on Tuesday and the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner last Friday. Read more
East Wing Magazine
A Conversation About Rosalynn Carter with Andrew Greer and Jennifer Taylor
July 28, 2026 – Andrew Greer and I met not long after East Wing Magazine launched in 2023 through his work with the Friends of Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia. The Carters’ magnetic pull drew him to their hometown of Plains as a young college student where he first attended one of the former president’s famous Sunday school lessons—a day when the former first lady also made a memorable impression. View here
The Associated Press
Clinton Foundation Launches an Institute to Help State Governments Find Nonpartisan Solutions
July 27, 2026 – The Clinton Foundation unveiled a new initiative Monday to help state and local governments develop and enact nonpartisan policy solutions to improve health outcomes, especially for women and children, economic security and democracy. Read more
Vineyard Gazette
Author Series to Welcome Michelle Obama
July 27, 2026 – The Martha’s Vineyard Author Series will feature former First Lady Michelle Obama at its August 23 event at the Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs. Tickets for the event are on sale. Mrs. Obama will discuss her new book The Look in conversation Michele Norris, senior contributing editor for MSNBC. The book traces the former first lady’s style evolution—from her childhood to her years as the first Black first lady to her life today. Read more