The First Lady of the United States of America, Melania Trump, is not just a passive observer of world politics – instead, as President Donald Trump himself has revealed, she was one of the people who encouraged him to toughen his attitude towards Russia. Her warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin launches new attacks on Ukrainian cities after every ‘friendly’ telephone call has clearly left its mark.
Donald Trump said on Monday: “I go home, I tell the first lady, ‘I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation.’ And she says, ‘Oh really, another city was just hit.’” Her words came at a time when the Kremlin, despite its contacts with Washington, was escalating its drone and missile attacks.
The US President then publicly announced that he had “had enough of Moscow” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had let him down. He announced billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine and 100 percent tariffs on Russian exports if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire within 50 days.
The New York Post reported that while Melania has not publicly spoken out about the war in Ukraine in the past, she comes from Slovenia, which has had a chilly relationship with Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It should be noted that at the time the war started, then-Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Janša, was one of the first world leaders to show solidarity with Ukraine, and just a month after the war started, Russia also destroyed the Slovenian consulate in Ukraine.
Russian media attack Melania
Interestingly, the First Lady of the USA has long been a laughing stock in the Russian state media. A few months ago, a popular Russian television programme broadcast a satirical segment in which she was portrayed as a “dependent background puppet”. According to some analysts, it is this public insult to the First Lady that may have further strengthened her resolve to hold a mirror up to Trump and point out the insincerity of the Kremlin.
The First Lady’s silent presence has thus been transformed into an influential voice. But Ukraine’s supporters were quick to hail her after Trump’s statement as an ally who is the co-decision-maker behind the scenes.
Sara Kovač
