Melania Trump launches children’s AI safety coalition at UN amid Ukraine crisis

Melania Trump announced a new coalition focused on children’s well-being and AI safety during a reception for world leaders’ spouses at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska attended the event hoping to secure Trump’s support for raising awareness about thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the ongoing war.

What you should know: Trump’s four-minute appearance marked the launch of her “Fostering the Future Together” initiative, aimed at protecting children through technology safeguards.
• The first lady, wearing an off-white Dolce & Gabbana cashmere pantsuit, called on leaders to help impose safeguards on new technology spread.
• “Our nations benefit from advancements in technology — saving lives, expanding access to knowledge, connecting people, and of course, safety. Nothing comes before safety,” Trump said.
• She immediately departed after her remarks without greeting counterparts, while Zelenska was spotted standing quietly near an elevator as a string rendition of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” played.

The Ukrainian appeal: Zelenska traveled to New York with an urgent mission to raise international awareness about Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia.
• At the current rate, it would take 50 years to return all Ukrainian children who have been taken to Russia, Zelenska warned at an earlier New York event.
• Only 1,625 children have been returned to Ukraine so far — a fraction of the overall number.
• “Behind every name are months of searching, negotiations and risk,” she said, adding “These children cannot await a lifetime.”

Behind the scenes: Trump advisers downplayed the significance of any potential meeting between the first ladies.
• “The truth is that Mrs. Zelenska has reached out to Melania several times to set up a meeting, but there’s no bilateral meeting,” said Marc Beckman, a senior adviser to the US first lady.
• Beckman described any interaction as “an informal hello to be polite” with “no sit-down, substantive conversation set.”

Previous diplomatic efforts: Both first ladies have engaged in correspondence through their husbands’ diplomatic channels.
• Last month, Melania Trump penned a letter to Vladimir Putin, obliquely referencing the “darkness” around children impacted by war, telling the Russian leader he has the power to “singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter.”
• When Zelensky visited President Trump in August, he delivered a personal appeal letter from his wife to the first lady, though its contents have not been shared publicly.

The new initiative: Trump’s coalition promises broad goals around enhancing children’s well-being through education, innovation, and technology.
• The initiative will include private-sector collaboration on AI, robotics, and blockchain, according to her office.
• Beckman described it as a “think tank” with branding that could be translated to other countries.
• Trump called on counterparts to “lead this movement in your region of the world” and “work with me to empower children to achieve new heights across our planet.”