President Trump on Monday revealed that First Lady Melania Trump played a key role in shifting his stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump detailed how Melania's reactions to his phone calls with Putin highlighted Russia's repeated failure to honor peace commitments.
"I go home. I tell the first lady, 'You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.' She said, 'Oh, really? Another city was just hit,'" Trump said, recalling one of several such conversations. "I'd say, 'What?'"
The former first lady, originally from Slovenia, has not spoken publicly about the war, but Trump suggested her private counsel helped crystallize his view that Putin has been insincere in negotiations. "There's times I'd get home. I'd say, 'First lady, I had three most wonderful talks with Vladimir. I think we're finished.' And then I'll turn on the television, or she'll say to me one time, 'Wow, that's strange because they just bombed a nursing home,'" Trump recounted.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Russian forces have continued waves of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, often shortly after high-level communications with Western leaders. Trump, appearing increasingly frustrated, stated last week, he wasn't happy with Putin "because he's killing alot of people."
On Monday, Trump issued a warning that Putin has 50 days to agree to a cease-fire or face "100% tariffs," signaling a shift from his previous reluctance to escalate economic pressure. Simultaneously, he confirmed an agreement to sell arms through NATO, part of a broader effort to support Ukraine's defense.
"This is again European nations standing up," said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "I've been in contact with many countries. I can tell you at this moment Germany, massively, but also Finland and Denmark and Sweden and Norway - we have the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canada - they all want to be part of this."
"And this is only the first wave. There will be more," Rutte added. "So what we will do is work through the NATO systems to make sure that we know what Ukrainians need."
Melania's subtle but influential role was quickly noted by Ukraine supporters online, many praising her as an unexpected advocate for stronger Western resistance to Russian aggression. Her home country, Slovenia, has maintained cool relations with Moscow since the invasion began in February 2022. A month into the war, a Russian airstrike destroyed Slovenia's consulate in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
