Donald Trump on Monday credited his wife Melania with shaping his views on Russia’s aggression and convincing him that Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed out of his promises over a possible peace deal with Ukraine.

Speaking during a meeting at the White House on Monday with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, Trump recounted his evolving stance on Putin.

“My conversations with him (Putin) are always very pleasant. I say, isn’t that a very lovely conversation? And then the missiles go off that night,” Trump said.

“I go home, I tell the first lady: I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.

She said: Really? Another city was just hit.”

The remarks caught attention in Ukraine, where social media users circulated memes celebrating Melania Trump’s apparent skepticism of Putin.

One viral post depicted her as “Agent Melania Trumpenko,” wearing a blazer adorned with the Ukrainian trident insignia, her face partially hidden by a hat,suggesting a covert allegiance to Kyiv from within the White House.

Slovenian-born Melania Trump, who grew up in the former Yugoslavia, has previously shown more public support for Ukraine than her husband. Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, she urged her social media followers to donate to the Red Cross, calling the situation “heartbreaking and horrific to see innocent people suffering.”

That contrast did not go unnoticed by Ukrainians, who see her origins in Yugoslavia...a region with its own complicated history with Moscow as potentially shaping her position.

One X user said: “Melania? She’s the wildcard, my friend. Trump’s out here spillin’ to her about his ‘nice’ calls with Putin, and she’s givin’ him that side-eye, like, ‘Really, Donald? This cat’s playin’ you.’”

Another user posted, “The First Lady of the United States reminds her husband of the human toll of Russian shelling. Melania's influence on her husband's views may be much more significant than it appears. Melania's clear position on the war in Ukraine is partly explained by her origins. After all, she grew up in Yugoslavia, a country that did not have a love for Russia.”

Another meme shows her standing behind her husband in the Oval Office while he signs a presidential decree. The caption reads: “Sisters Melania of the Bene Gesserit” – a nod to Frank Herbert’s Dune, likening her to the fictional sisterhood known for pulling political strings from the shadows.

The Business magazine in Ukraine, a regional publication, noted the surge in appreciation for Melania after Trump’s Monday remarks coincided with the announcement that the US would send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. The magazine wrote, “There is a lot of love on social media tonight for Melania Trump.”