OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:47 PM – Monday, July 14, 2025
President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that First Lady Melania Trump played a pivotal role in influencing his decision to increase military assistance to Ukraine.
While elaborating on his shift toward a much firmer stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump noted that Melania was among those who candidly pointed out that Putin has consistently gone back on his commitments after their ongoing discussions regarding a peace agreement.
“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, recounting one of their recent conversations.
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During conversations with President Trump, the Kremlin has continued to launch waves of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine.
In response, the 47th commander-in-chief declared his growing frustration with Moscow, pledging to provide Ukraine with “billions of dollars” in advanced weaponry. He also warned that, should Putin continue to reject a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal within the next 50 days, his administration would impose 100% tariffs on Russian imports.
Melania Trump, who originally hails from Slovenia, has not previously made public statements regarding the war in Ukraine.
However, her homeland has maintained a notably strained relationship with Russia since the onset of the invasion in February 2022. Within the first month of the conflict, a Russian airstrike obliterated Slovenia’s consulate in Ukraine during a bombardment of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, according to the New York Post.
Slovenia, a member of the European Union, declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 following a brief ten-day conflict, after which the Yugoslav army withdrew.
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