'Pathetic and utterly irresponsible': Melania Trump slammed for 'weak performative stunt'

16 August

Donald and Melania Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United States when, on Friday, August 15, he met with U.S. President Donald Trump for a summit in Anchorage, Alaska. Many opponents of Russia's invasion of Ukraine were hoping that Putin would agree to a ceasefire, but Russian forces continued to attack Ukraine.

First Lady Melania Trump, who is originally from Slovenia, wasn't present during her husband's meeting with Putin. But she gave President Trump a letter to hand-deliver to the Russian president.

One of the things Melania Trump addressed in the letter, according to the Daily Beast's Will Neal, is Ukrainian children being forcibly taken away by Russian soldiers.

"Russian forces have abducted tens of thousands of Ukrainian children since the launch of Putin's full-scale invasion in February 2022, with many of them later adopted by Russian families or placed in detention camps," Neal explains in an article published on August 16. "Melania Trump is a native of Slovenia, a former communist country in Southern Europe that has maintained hostile relations with Russia over the Kremlin's ongoing invasion."

Neal adds, "Her recent letter is not the first time she has interceded on Ukraine's behalf. The first lady helped convince Trump to increase military support for Ukraine and that Putin has not negotiated in good faith. "

Melania Trump's letter to Putin is generating some discussion on X, formerly Twitter.'

Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics, tweeted, "Melania is a true friend of Ukraine! She sent Putin a personal letter on abducted Ukrainian children, which Trump handed him at the Alaska summit. Ukraine says the deportation of tens of thousands of children is a war crime and meets the UN definition of genocide."

Mylovanov, in a separate tweet, wrote, "Officials did not disclose details but confirmed it raised Russia's seizure of Ukrainian children. Moscow claims it evacuated children for safety, but the UN says Russia has violated millions of children’s rights since the 2022 invasion and inflicted severe suffering."

Podcaster Mario Nawfal commented, "Trump personally delivered a letter from Melania to Putin, urging the return of thousands of Ukrainian children taken by Russia. The move put the issue directly on the table at their face-to-face in Anchorage, sharpening focus on one of the war's darkest chapters. A rare first-lady intervention meets presidential diplomacy at the highest stakes."

X user Louise Mensch posted, "Everyone, right or left, should recognize and praise Melania's wonderful advocacy for Ukraine. Melania is the most powerful advocate and ally that Ukraine has anywhere in the world. She is beloved in Kyiv and I can see exactly why. I do not think @realDonaldTrump would ignore the First Lady's voice here. The fact he personally delivered her letter to Putin shows this, in my view."

Another X user, Miks Celmins, wrote, "At least someone told putin he’s a war criminal — and it wasn’t Trump. - Melania. Melania sent Putin a letter on russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children."

But not everyone is impressed by the first lady's letter to Putin. Some X users attacked the letter as an empty gesture.

X user David Brookfield posted, "DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCRIPTED B-------, This stuff is designed to remove the pressure off Trump. The white house does not give a s---, Donald does not give a s---, and you can be sure that Putin does not give 2 flying f---- about a letter from Melania either, so be doubly sure that number 5 body double does not give any f--- either. REMEMBER TRUMP REMOVED THE FUNDING to the Yale program that tracked the abducted children. 3 years of data lost! There will be children who are never found as a result of this. And yet somehow Melania is part of the fight, well tell you what, restore the funding to the project and then maybe people can believe! They won't though, because they do not give a s---. Do not forget this."

Another X user, Himanshu Singh, wrote, "Melania Trump sending a letter via her husband to Putin is a weak, performative stunt. Instead of taking meaningful action, she's relying on theatrics while cozying up to a dictator pathetic and utterly irresponsible."

Read the Daily Beast's full article at this link (subscription required).

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