WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to U.S. President Donald J. Trump during their White House meeting, thanking him for his efforts to end the war with Russia and highlighting the humanitarian toll of the conflict.

“Thank you very much for your efforts to stop killings and stop this war. Thank you. And many thanks to your wife, she sent a letter to Putin about our abducted children,” Zelensky said, referencing First Lady Melania Trump’s outreach on the sensitive issue.

Zelensky then handed President Trump a new letter written by his own wife, addressed to the U.S. First Lady. The letter underscores Kyiv’s plea for greater international pressure on Moscow to return Ukrainian children allegedly abducted and taken into Russia during the war.

The emotional exchange added a personal dimension to an otherwise formal diplomatic meeting, underscoring the stakes of the ongoing conflict and the role of humanitarian concerns in high-level negotiations.