The first lady could be President Zelenskyy’s unlikely ally in the White House, influencing Trump’s recent tougher stance on Russia.
As the president this week decided to deliver Patriot air missiles to Kyiv, Melania Trump has been reminding him of the deadly toll of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine.
“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’,” he said from the Oval Office on Monday afternoon.
Melania was born behind the Iron Curtain in 1970 and grew up in the former Yugoslavia.
As well as praising Ronald Reagan, who helped end the Cold War, she speaks to her son Barron in Slovene, and both still hold EU passports. It has long been reported that the first lady prefers to spend time away from the White House since her husband’s inauguration in January, as she is close to Barron, who is attending NYU.
According to Mary Jordan, author of The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump, Melania’s influence does not come as a surprise to those who know her,
“It [Melania’s fondness for Ukraine] is not surprising at all given she grew up in the former Yugoslavia, a country with no love for Russia,” she told The Times.
“She has more experience than other people in the cabinet trying to get her point across.”
Jordan added that Melania is well-informed about European politics, as her father, Viktor Knavs, 81, frequently travels to Slovenia, where she was raised.
“Her home country is all in for Ukraine, and people over there are appalled that the United States would suddenly not be arming Ukraine anymore.”
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Trump described Putin as “savvy” and “genius” while Melania described the war as “heartbreaking” and “horrific”.
“It is heartbreaking and horrific to see innocent people suffering. My thoughts and prayers are with the Ukrainian people. Please, if you can, donate to help them [International Red Cross],” she posted on X, formerly Twitter.
