Trump’s Ukraine U-turn driven by Melania’s power play, says expert

 

 

Donald Trump’s dramatic shift on Ukraine may be down to the influence of one surprising figure — his wife, Melania.

 

“There are forces within the Trump camp that do support Ukraine. One of them is Melania Trump. She really believes,” Melinda Haring, a Eurasia specialist at the Atlantic Council, told France 24.

 

Haring said the former First Lady has been deeply moved by reports of more than 20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia, and frequently raises the issue with her husband. Many of her closest friends are also Ukrainian Americans.

 

The revelation comes as reports emerge of Russian troops taking child hostages under brutal new orders from Moscow commanders.

“It’s really about who talked to Trump last — President Trump is really influenced by the last person in the room,” Haring added.

 

The comments mark a striking departure from Trump’s previous stance that Ukraine was “losing the cards” and should consider territorial concessions to Russia.

 

But after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social: “After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation, and after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”

 

Zelensky, speaking on Fox News, confirmed: “Today, we had a good conversation with President Trump and I think he understands today that we can’t just swap territories. It is not fair.”

 

Haring cautioned, however, that Trump’s newfound rhetoric could change quickly. “Will the United States continue to support Ukraine with financial assistance and weapons? That’s the big question.”

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Melania Trump is said to be a key influence in Donald Trump’s Ukraine U-turn.

• She is reportedly moved by Russia’s abduction of more than 20,000 Ukrainian children.

• Trump had previously urged Kyiv to make territorial concessions to Russia.

• After meeting Zelensky, he now claims Ukraine can “win back all its original territory.”

• Experts warn his stance could change quickly, depending on who has his ear.

 

Original source Daily Express

Trump tells Ukraine: Take back all your land... then go further

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/23/donald-trump-nato-shoot-down-russian-jets/

 

President Trump is really influenced by the last person in the room,” Haring added

Are you listening..

 

just do it

Trumps eats this up 

Ukraine's Zelensky Calls Trump "Game Changer" As US

https://youtu.be/JAMN4LE1JrI?feature=shared

 

Why hasn't Trump imposed more Sanctions on Russia, i seem to remember him issueing a 10 day's threat of more severe Sanctions so far he hasn't done anythng else. He is also not delivering more Anti Air defence Systems Ukraine asked for. What he says and does are two things.

Hopefully Grandpa will remember 

Oh dear things are worse than one can ever imagine- the Paper Tiger is an imploding Europe - thankg God I'm old it;s downhill from hereonin. 

 

https://archive.ph/9EEtY

 

The clock is ticking for Putin, a pound-shop Stalin, to avoid humiliation in his deranged quest to rebuild Moscow’s sphere of influence. He has grabbed Mariupol and a few other smaller Ukrainian cities, but that doesn’t amount to much in over three and half years of war crimes and destruction. He stands no hope of defeating Ukraine by January 2026, the equivalent time in which it took Stalin to seize Hitler’s Reichshauptstadt.
Trump was right to dismiss him as a paper tiger at the UN. He is a loser, backed by Iran and Belarus, reliant on trade with India and Turkey, his imperial pretensions a farce, his country little more than a Chinese protectorate.
So why haven’t we swooped? By now, Europe, its economy strengthened, should be ready to provide Ukraine with a final, decisive boost. Instead, we have barely started to remilitarise, Britain and France are teetering on the brink of a fiscal crisis, and stand powerless as Moscow becomes increasingly provocative. This is how great civilisations finally die.

A pretty idiotic article by a poor newspaper.

 

Obviously what prompted the change of heart is Putin not playing ball with Trump, nothing to do with Melania.

1 hour ago, BarraMarra said:

He is also not delivering more Anti Air defence Systems Ukraine asked for.

Maybe he hasn't got enough to hand out like smarties

(M and M' s )

 

38 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

So why haven’t we swooped? By now, Europe, its economy strengthened, should be ready to provide Ukraine with a final, decisive boost. Instead, we have barely started to remilitarise, Britain and France are teetering on the brink of a fiscal crisis,

Europe's economy strengthened  by what ???  then in the next breath

Britain and France teetering on financial crises  industrial 'powerhouse' Germany  de industrialised and without cheap energy due to entirely self inflicted policies  the  (satire ? ) piece above got only one bit right "This is how great civilisations finally die."

The Financial Times has an interesting article about this.

https://www.ft.com/content/66308c61-9296-47ac-b4a8-fca894abfd25

 

 While Trump’s new stance was welcomed in some quarters, several European officials concluded he was handing them responsibility for Ukraine’s defence with expectations that Europe would find hard to meet.

 

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday warned publicly that Trump’s “surprising optimism” disguised “a promise of reduced US involvement and a shift of responsibility for ending the war to Europe”. He added on X: “Better truth than illusions.”

 

Trump has also called on the EU to halt purchases of Russian oil and hit China and India with tariffs — steps that Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, a Trump ally, has long said he would block.

 

“This is the start of a blame game,” one official said of Trump’s abrupt change of heart. “The US knew that the China and India tariffs would be impossible” for the EU to accept.

 

Trump “is building the off ramp” so he can blame Europe when and if he needs to, a European government aide said. The shift was “spectacular” and “generally good”, but Trump was “setting a very high bar”, a German official noted.

 

Carlo Masala, international affairs professor at Bundeswehr University Munich, said “Trump wants to avoid that, after nine months in power, this war becomes his war too” and no longer just “Biden’s war”.

One European official noted Trump’s “Good luck to all!” sign-off on his Truth Social post as tantamount to a handover note.

 

 

 

6 hours ago, johng said:

The Financial Times has an interesting article about this.

https://www.ft.com/content/66308c61-9296-47ac-b4a8-fca894abfd25

 

 While Trump’s new stance was welcomed in some quarters, several European officials concluded he was handing them responsibility for Ukraine’s defence with expectations that Europe would find hard to meet.

 

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday warned publicly that Trump’s “surprising optimism” disguised “a promise of reduced US involvement and a shift of responsibility for ending the war to Europe”. He added on X: “Better truth than illusions.”

 

Trump has also called on the EU to halt purchases of Russian oil and hit China and India with tariffs — steps that Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, a Trump ally, has long said he would block.

 

“This is the start of a blame game,” one official said of Trump’s abrupt change of heart. “The US knew that the China and India tariffs would be impossible” for the EU to accept.

 

Trump “is building the off ramp” so he can blame Europe when and if he needs to, a European government aide said. The shift was “spectacular” and “generally good”, but Trump was “setting a very high bar”, a German official noted.

 

Carlo Masala, international affairs professor at Bundeswehr University Munich, said “Trump wants to avoid that, after nine months in power, this war becomes his war too” and no longer just “Biden’s war”.

One European official noted Trump’s “Good luck to all!” sign-off on his Truth Social post as tantamount to a handover note.

 

 

 

That sums it quite well.

 

In particular, it's obvious that, struck by Trump's tariffs, having to increase military expenses, on top of other economic issues, the EU and other NATO countries are unable to sustain a trade war with China.

1 minute ago, candide said:

the EU and other NATO countries are unable to sustain a trade war with China.

Nor are they able to sustain a war of attrition against Russia.

This can been seen as Trumps very clumsy  way of trying to walk away from the conflict as he run his election campaign on ending not starting wars  however the Ukraine could take back all territory bit could come back to haunt him.

He should have stated clearly and unequivocally as soon as taking office that

this is not a war in the US national interest,  Ukraine and Russia need to sort it out themself  with maybe the EU participating on the sidelines..

and concentrated on internal national US problems...MAGA

thats what he ran on to get elected on  not  fighting a proxy..going on hot war with Russia.