An advocate for Ukrainian children

Recently First Lady Melania Trump revealed that she’s maintained an open line to Russian dictator Vladamir Putin for one purpose: persuading him to return the estimated tens of thousands of children kidnapped from Ukrainian families as part of the ongoing war between the two nations. Eight children have so far been reunited with their families as a result of her efforts.

This has been a significant issue of importance for the first lady. In August, as her husband was engaging in high-stakes diplomacy with President Putin in Alaska, he handed him a letter from Melania asking for him to do the right thing and return these children. The president continues to pressure Vladmir Putin to stop his war on Ukraine, meeting this week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The plight of these children is a continued point of negotiations, including a recently passed Senate resolution sponsored by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar supporting Ukraine’s efforts to track and find these children. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said this a key demand in peace talks.

Save Ukraine, an evangelical Christian organization based in Kyiv, has identified more than 19,000 children taken from their families in Ukraine. Russia typically sends these children to camps to be brainwashed and offers them to families in Russia. They are often deployed as child soldiers. Save Ukraine, founded by former Ukrainian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Mykola Kuleba, has rescued more than 650 children from Russia. This ministry has transition homes in Ukraine where they offer therapy, promote healing, and pursue reunification with parents. In 2024, I had a chance to visit with the Christians who serve these children, working with local churches to help heal and restore families.

Advocacy for these children seems personal for Melania, who grew up in Slovenia during the height of the Cold War. In her address at the 2020 Republican convention, she spoke of the harsh rule of the totalitarian regime and its contrast with America, a place she dreamed of living. So the First Lady understands the cruelty of Putin’s regime and has used her platform to advocate for the children he’s victimized. Trump himself has admitted her influence on him in these negotiations.

Mrs. Trump’s advocacy is also a testament to the importance of evangelical engagement in politics. Recently The Wall Street Journal highlighted the work of many politically connected Christians who have worked with the Trump administration to raise awareness of the plight of these children. At a time when many voices are pressuring believers to step back from the public square, this work underscores the importance of leaning in and stewarding our citizenship on behalf of the most vulnerable.

Seeking power for power’s sake is unhealthy, but Scripture is full of examples of men and women in power, such as Esther, Joseph, Daniel, and others who used their positions for the benefit of others. In a democracy likes ours, where the government is “Of the people, by the people, and for the people,” how can we not raise our voices on behalf of what is true and good and beautiful? How can we not speak out against injustice? We have more power and agency to do good in our day than Christians have ever had in human history.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, we should pray for President Trump and his team as they seek to bring an end to a conflict that has cost millions of lives. We should pray for the families that have been shattered by war and for the communities that have been destroyed. We should pray for Christian organizations like Save Ukraine who are meeting human needs in a time of war. War is terrible. Blessed, Jesus said, are the peacemakers.

And we should be thankful for a First Lady who is not silent on the plight of Ukrainian children. May her work see more children rescued and reunited to their families.