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Zelensky hands over letter from Ukraine's first lady to Trump: ‘This is not for you, but…’
Last week, Trump had handed a letter from Melania Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin at their Alaska summit.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday presented US President Donald Trump with a letter from the Ukrainian first lady.
Zelensky, however, told Trump that the letter is for America's First Lady, Melania Trump. Follow LIVE updates here.
“My wife, the first lady of Ukraine, she gave the letter. It’s not to you but to your wife,” he said, according to CNN.
Last week, Trump handed a letter from Melania to Russian President Vladimir Putin at their Alaska summit.
On Saturday, the first lady's office had reposted a Fox News article on X containing the short letter, a day after Trump and Putin failed to find a breakthrough at their high-stakes meeting.
"In today's world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them," read the letter, which was signed by the first lady and did not mention Ukraine by name, according to AFP.
"Mr Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter," it added. "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," the letter read. "It is time."
Zelensky's visit to the White House
US President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday for high-stakes talks on a possible peace deal with Russia.
Addressing reporters from the Oval Office, Trump said that if his meeting with Zelensky went well, he expected to hold a trilateral meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin with the objective of ending the Ukraine-Russia war.
"We're going to have a meeting. I think if everything works out well today we'll have a trilat and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that," said Trump.
Several European leaders have accompanied Zelensky in his visit to the White House. These include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
