MINSK, March 20. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that First Lady of the United States Melania Trump asked him to talk with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the Ukrainian children staying in Russia.

"Now Melania has handed over a list of children who allegedly got lost in Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine. And she has asked me to hand this list over to Vladimir Putin when I meet with him, to talk to him, so that we can find these children in Russia who fled the war, most likely. Find them and give them to Ukraine if the children are ready and there are people ready to take them in," Lukashenko told reporters, commenting on yesterday’s talks with the American delegation. "It's not easy to give it to [Vladimir] Zelensky. He doesn't care about these kids. If they were needed, he would have ended this war long ago."

According to BelTA news agency, Lukashenko said that he agreed to this request, but warned that Putin would not be "persuaded" on this issue: "If Melania asks, this is a follow-up to the letter she once gave Putin about children - I will bring this position to the elder brother, no problem. But I won’t make a stink about it, because I do not know if these children exist or not, whether it is true or not, and who handed over these lists. It's not difficult for me - I'll pass it on, let's talk about this topic."

Melania Trump previously said she had discussed with Putin the topic of Ukrainian children in Russia. According to her, the Russian president responded to her letter on this issue, expressing his willingness to interact directly and provide details. The American first lady’s original message was delivered to the Russian leader during a Russia-US summit in Alaska in August.