Overview

• Senior adviser Marc Beckman said Olena Zelenska had reached out several times for a sit-down, but no bilateral meeting was arranged and only a brief greeting was expected.
• Instead of a meeting, the U.S. first lady hosted a spouses' reception where she introduced "Fostering the Future Together," focused on children's well-being and safeguarding technology use.
• Event coverage described Melania Trump's remarks as lasting about four minutes and concluding without individual greetings for counterparts.
• Zelenska told an audience that 1,625 Ukrainian children have been returned so far and cautioned that at the current pace full repatriation could take 50 years.
• Melania Trump invited first spouses to join the coalition and said its inaugural meeting is planned at the White House in early 2026.