At the White House on Thursday, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev stood behind a podium bearing the U.S. presidential seal, quoted Vladimir Putin and praised Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, as a humanitarian.

There is one relevant detail about Lvova-Belova: the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for her in March 2023 over alleged war crimes involving the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.

The ICC issued a warrant for Putin on the same day. Neither has been convicted. Both remain wanted by the court.

Dmitriev, who also heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund, was participating in a White House event hosted by First Lady Melania Trump following a temporary ceasefire around Oleshky, a Russian-occupied Ukrainian town in the Kherson region.

The ceasefire, which ran from October 27 to November 2, allowed humanitarian assistance and civilian evacuations. Melania Trump says nearly 800 people were evacuated.

The humanitarian outcome is significant. So is the identity of the people being praised.

Among Melania Trump's guests was Yana Lantratova, Russia's human rights commissioner.

Lantratova is under U.S. sanctions and has been accused by Ukrainian authorities of participating in the unlawful removal of two children from an orphanage in occupied Kherson in 2022.

One of those children, Margarita Prokopenko, was subsequently adopted by a Russian lawmaker and his wife. Her name and recorded birthplace were changed. Ukraine formally notified Lantratova of criminal suspicion in 2024.

On Thursday, she was welcomed to the White House for a humanitarian event. The event concerned the protection and evacuation of Ukrainian civilians.

A painting, a television network and a humanitarian mission