Zelensky awards Melania Trump Order of Princess Olga, first class

Melania Trump is being called a "part-time First Lady." Photo: Evan Vucci/picture alliance

By Mathias Brüggmann

Ukraine Honors Melania Trump with Order of Princess Olga

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday awarded the wife of his US counterpart the Order of Princess Olga, First Class. In doing so, he expressed Ukraine's gratitude for the ceasefire and partial evacuation of the frontline city of Oleshky—encircled by Russia—that Melania Trump had negotiated.

The order is the highest distinction awarded exclusively to women. The Zelensky decree states that Trump is receiving the award for her "significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine, her active commitment to human rights, and charitable activities to protect Ukrainian children."

According to a report by the Associated Press, Melania Trump spent weeks negotiating with Russian and Ukrainian intermediaries to deliver supplies to the people of Oleshky, who had been without water, food, medicine, and fuel for months, and to enable all those who wished to leave to travel to Ukraine or Russia. Around 800 people succeeded in doing so on Saturday.

A Historic First

Melania Trump is thus the first presidential spouse to have negotiated a ceasefire. Previously, she was the first First Lady in United Nations history to chair a meeting of the UN Security Council. This Thursday, she plans to report details on the rescue operation in Oleshky. Whether she will also comment on her efforts to secure the release of the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children deported to Russia remains unclear for now.

Fewer Public Appearances

This marks the first public reappearance of the 56-year-old, who grew up in the small Slovenian town of Sevnica—then part of Yugoslavia. According to press reports, she did not spend the midterm election night at the side of her husband, Donald Trump, and his advisers in the White House.

According to an analysis by the TV channel NBC, Melania made only half as many public appearances during Trump's second term as she did during his first four years. Melania Trump, who once said during reported marital crises that "I know who I married," keeps a low profile. "I heard you missed me. Here I am," said the 56-year-old on August 20, when she presented her initiative to support foster children in the White House Rose Garden after a 32-day absence.

In October, she persuaded her husband to adopt an initiative on women's health. Currently, she is making the protection of children from artificial intelligence a core theme. Opinions about Melania Knauss—the model who moved to New York in 1995 and has been married to Trump since January 2005—are divided: The New York Times called her "the Slovenian Sphinx." The Los Angeles Times described her as "a political actor who knows no compromises." And according to The New Yorker, she is "at least as imperial as her husband."

During the period when her husband stood trial over a hush-money affair involving porn actress Stormy Daniels, she told CNN: People would think "Oh, poor Melania." But she tells them: "Don't feel sorry for me. I can handle it."

High Losses

Since Trump's first election, the media have speculated whether she is a mystery, a victim, or an accomplice. In terms of results, according to Trump biographer Michael Wolff, a business empire with $17 million in profit emerged, including more than $10 million in revenue from the Amazon-financed film "Melania." The most expensive documentary ever commissioned, at $40 million, incurred heavy losses and was panned as "calculating, maddening, and appalling."

Because of her withdrawals from public life—while reports circulate about her husband's potentially too-close relationships with his assistant Natalie Harp or, most recently, renewed rape allegations—Melania is being called a "part-time First Lady." According to CNN, she is the least popular First Lady of all time. However, at that point, respondents did not yet know that she had achieved a ceasefire and the rescue of 800 people.

Related articles:

• Ukraine War: Optimism Is Out of Place — Commentary by Barbara Oertel
• Frontline City Oleshky: Little Hope for Peace Despite Successful Evacuation — By Timur Vorkul and Mathias Brüggmann
• Ceasefire in Oleshky: Humanitarian Aid, Handshakes, and Lingering Mistrust — By Bernhard Clasen