Second lady Usha Vance is applauding first lady Melania Trump after her emotional “peace letter” to Russian President Vladimir Putin made headlines worldwide.
Speaking during a Georgia school visit, Usha described Melania as a “role model” and a “trailblazer,” saying she admires her commitment to children’s well-being.
Melania’s powerful message to Putin
The letter, which President Donald Trump hand-delivered to Putin before the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, struck a deeply human tone. Beginning with the words “Dear President Putin,” Melania wrote that “every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger.”
She urged Putin to consider the innocence of children caught in war, telling him, “Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter.”
In one of the letter’s most striking lines, the first lady reminded the Russian leader: “In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself.”
The message ended with a call for immediate action: “Such a bold idea transcends all human division… It is time.”
Usha Vance shows her admiration
“I have admired her approach to a lot of things, but at the top of the list, she really does care about children,” Usha told Fox News Digital. “Every time that she uses her voice to tell people how important it is to keep children safe and to make sure they grow up happy and healthy, it’s a good thing. So, I see that as a role model.”
While Usha made clear she has no plans to pen a similar letter herself, she applauded Melania’s boldness. “She’s a trailblazer in that respect. I really admire that,” the second lady said.
Her comments came as she continued her 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, a program launched in June to encourage children to read throughout the season. On Thursday, Usha read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” to about 200 students, then toured classrooms and greeted dozens of excited children.
A wave of gratitude from Ukraine
The first lady’s letter hasn’t just drawn praise at home. During a meeting in Washington this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave Donald Trump a letter of gratitude for Melania.
The letter, written by Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, was to thank Melania for shining a spotlight on the abduction of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children since the war began.
Zelensky himself praised Melania for her compassion, saying, “We deeply appreciate her attention to one of the most painful and difficult issues of this war.” President Trump added that his wife “hates to see something like this happening” and speaks about it “very openly, very proudly, and with great sorrow because so many people have been killed.”
A first lady making her mark
For Melania Trump, the letter may be one of her most defining acts since returning to the White House. For Usha Vance, it was simply proof of why she, and many others, view the first lady as a woman willing to use her voice on behalf of children everywhere.
