The Melania Effect: How the First Lady of the United States Outshone Her Husband in the Race for the Nobel Peace Prize

While Donald Trump is ruthlessly and relentlessly destroying the reputation of the presidency and global trust in the United States, his third wife and current First Lady, Melania Trump, has turned out to be perhaps the only person in the White House who is not afraid to stand on the right side of history.

Proof of this was Melania Trump’s involvement in the rescue of residents of the Ukrainian town of Oleshky, who were held hostage by the Russians but were given a chance at salvation.

24 Channel analyzed the U.S. First Lady’s humanitarian initiative, what might lie behind it, and also points out the danger that the Russians might exploit Melania’s kind heart and her sincere desire to help people for their own ends.

We were assisted in this by a great friend of 24 Channel – Scott Lucas, a professor of international politics at the Clinton Institute at University College Dublin.

Melania managed to

On October 23, 2026, the White House issued a statement stating that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump achieved a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region, which is suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe instigated by the invaders. Washington confirmed that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to temporarily suspend all military operations in Oleshky to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and prepare for the evacuation of civilians through a designated safe corridor.

On October 27, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets confirmed that in the area of the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, the ceasefire agreements are being observed and no violations of the ceasefire have been recorded by either side. The ceasefire began on October 27 at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time and will last until 10:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 1. On October 30, the Ukrainian delegation arrived in Oleshky and began the evacuation process.

The Ukrainian delegation in Oleshky – watch the video:

Melania Trump first learned about the situation in Oleshky back in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The topic was raised at one of the events organized by the First Lady of the United States. Melania’s team then contacted Kyiv and Moscow and asked to be granted the status of “exclusive mediator.” Ukraine agreed. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was also forced to give the “green light” in a corresponding written letter sent to the American side.

The First Ladies of Ukraine and the U.S. found common ground / Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

In her statement, the First Lady of the United States noted that she was the one who had been handling this issue, and that her personal intervention was indispensable. It appears that this was indeed the case.

The situation in Oleshky is catastrophic. Oleshky is a city on the front lines that is on the brink of disaster. The population remaining in Oleshky consists mainly of elderly people who urgently need medical care, medicine, food, and clean water. “It is quite obvious that without my intervention, it would have been impossible to deliver humanitarian aid to the town and evacuate the elderly,” said the First Lady of the United States in an official statement.

Earlier, efforts were made in Brussels to bring attention to the situation in Oleshky in order to influence Putin. Pina Picerno, Vice President of the European Parliament, even went on a hunger strike due to the dire food and medicine shortage in the city.

This fight cannot be mine alone. I call on associations, citizens, and national and local institutions to join this major campaign. We must demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, access to food and medicine, and the ability to safely evacuate civilians who wish to leave the city,” says Pina Picerno, seeking to draw attention to Russia’s crimes.

Who’s on the First Lady’s Team

Ukrainian journalist Ostap Yarysh, based in the U.S., has revealed interesting details about who is on Melania Trump’s team. And these are not people from the White House, the State Department, or the Pentagon, nor are they representatives of U.S. intelligence. Mark Beckman, Melania Trump’s private consultant and producer of the film “Melania” (It turned out to be nothing special – 24 Channel) about the First Lady of the United States, is the main coordinator of these efforts.

Mr. Beckman is the founder of the advertising agency DMA United, which works with well-known brands in the worlds of fashion, entertainment, and sports. Moreover, he is not officially a U.S. government official and does not work in the First Lady’s office.

In fact, this is not the first time the U.S. has entrusted negotiations to people who previously had little to do with diplomacy. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also not career diplomats, but despite this, President Trump has high hopes for them, both regarding Ukraine and Iran. At least, that is the official explanation; however, there are well-founded assumptions that there may be more to it than meets the eye: the Trump family's desire for personal enrichment.

Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy

Although Melania Trump herself has not made any high-profile statements in support of Ukraine – either publicly or on the international stage – her influence on Donald Trump is noticeable behind closed doors: at home, as they say, in the kitchen. Melania has repeatedly drawn her husband’s attention to how Russia is ruthlessly killing civilians in Ukraine.

Her sentiments are not without reason. She was born in the former Yugoslavia, in what is now Slovenia. Melania Knauss's childhood (that was her maiden name) coincided with a time when Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and after her father moved his model daughter to the U.S., he ran into trouble with the local equivalent of the KGB. Thus, Melania Trump witnessed firsthand the “ideas of socialism” and their implementation in real life.

Melania has influence over her husband, but no one knows exactly how far that influence extends / Photo – Getty Images

On July 14, 2025, Donald Trump stated that Melania had pointed out to him at home that, following his phone calls with Putin, Russia continued to bomb Ukrainian cities.

“I come home and say to the First Lady, ‘You know, I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a great conversation.’ And she replies, ‘Really? Another city was just attacked,’” Trump said about his wife’s role.

The U.S. president noted that his wife had repeatedly mentioned Ukraine in their conversations at home. In other words, Melania took on the role of a silent observer in the public sphere, but a proactive advocate at home, precisely at a time when her husband is more emotionally accessible:

Sometimes I’d come home and say, “First Lady, I had three wonderful conversations with Putin. I think we’ve sorted everything out.” And then I’d turn on the TV, or she’d tell me, “That’s strange, because they just bombed a nursing home.”

In August 2025, Melania delivered a personal letter to Vladimir Putin via Donald Trump during their meetings in Alaska. In the letter, she appealed to Putin to take care of the children suffering because of the war. It was then that Melania began to take an active role in yet another initiative: the return to Ukraine of children separated from their families or taken away as a result of Russian aggression. In this way, the First Lady and her office effectively gained a voice and a seat at the table of humanitarian negotiations.

Melania Trump’s post on the launch of a humanitarian operation in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region:

On October 29, 2026, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump called for support for humanitarian workers heading to Oleshky in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region. She wished the mission participants safety and expressed hope that their work would help end the suffering of the people.

Let’s stand united in our support and wish them a safe journey to Oleshky. May this humanitarian mission put an end to the suffering and usher in a new chapter of lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine – Melania Trump hopes that everything will turn out well.

What is the Vatican’s role in rescuing the residents of Oleshky?

The Vatican also played a major role in this story. On October 16, Pope Leo XIV held a telephone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin regarding the critical humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied city of Oleshky. The Holy See initiated the conversation.

Leo XIV, despite being in the hospital after surgery, stepped up diplomatic efforts and called on Putin to declare a ceasefire and a truce in Oleshky to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and organize the voluntary evacuation of civilians.

But not everyone agrees with Melania’s role. For example, Scott Lucas, a professor of international politics at the Clinton Institute at University College Dublin, believes that the Vatican, not the first lady, had a decisive influence on the truce in Oleshky. According to the expert, Melania Trump was merely brought into the process to be manipulated by the U.S. president himself.

According to the expert, the First Lady of the United States has become merely the cherry on top of a multi-layered cake. However, in politics and public relations, it is the final touch – and how the media frames the event – that is decisive. And right now, the media is on Melania’s side. So no one will be surprised if the First Lady, rather than her husband, runs for running for the Nobel Peace Prize next year.

The job isn’t done, and Russia still can’t be trusted

Unfortunately, however, true peace is still a long way off. And Donald Trump is to blame for this, as he is now siding with the aggressor – Russia – and openly trying to force Ukraine to capitulate. In light of this, Melania Trump’s peace initiative looks literally like a ray of light in a dark realm.

Melania Trump is trying to “fix” what her husband has failed to achieve / Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

The temporary ceasefire in Oleshky, initiated by the First Lady of the United States, is certainly a success story that could be scaled up – but only if Russia is willing. Melania Trump, despite her public silence, acts more subtly and discreetly: behind closed doors, at home, when Donald Trump is willing to listen.

The extent of her influence is difficult to assess, but it certainly exists, as confirmed by the actual ceasefire in Oleshky.

Of course, the Republicans and Donald Trump himself will try to use this for their own PR and to reap the benefits at midterm elections.

It’s clear that Russia will use this time to replenish its military equipment and personnel and to regroup its forces. And furthermore – they’ll try to hype up the story as much as possible with fake “victims of the Banderites” and equally fake “witnesses – boys in their underwear” (they’ve already crept into the information space, just like Samara Morgan from the movie *The Ring*).

We hope that the American journalists who will be covering the evacuation directly in the Kherson region will be able to spot the fakes and not fall for Russian provocations.

We have no doubt that the Defense Forces are also making the most of the time they have. At the same time, despite the criticism and pessimism, we must acknowledge the following: Melania Trump has influence over Donald Trump and carries some weight on the international stage, and she is using all of this for humanitarian purposes. We hope that this approach will be scaled up to other sectors of the front – air and sea – provided there is sufficient pressure on Russia and the U.S. maintains its focus on Ukraine.