In Alaska, the Russian leader proposed that Ukraine hand over the remainder of the Donbas region to Moscow to stop the fighting.

Russia already controls a fifth of Ukraine, including about three-quarters of Donetsk province, which it first entered in 2014.

First lady Melania Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Put to protect the innocence of children in a letter made public by U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday.

Putin returned to the presidency in 2012. A year later, the White House canceled a planned summit with Putin in Moscow, citing Russia's "disappointing decision" to grant asylum to national security leaker Edward Snowden and a lack of progress in the U.S.-Russia bilateral agenda.

Melania Trump expressed concern over the condition of children in Ukraine and Russia in a letter to Vladimir Putin. She appealed to Putin to protect the innocence of children and take steps to return the laughter of children trapped in the conflict,