The First Lady is now taking credit for inspiring Pope Leo to get involved in the Ukraine ceasefire deal after being called out for excluding it.
Melania Trump launched a campaign to brazenly claim sole credit for brokering a ceasefire in Ukraine, making Pope Leo a mere walk-on.
The White House announced Friday that the 56-year-old first lady had negotiated a limited ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, set to take effect Oct. 29 to allow humanitarian aid in and pave the way for evacuations.
But Melania was immediately accused of trying to steal credit from Pope Leo, who called Russian President Vladimir Putin a week before the first lady’s announcement to ask him to arrange a ceasefire in Oleshky. The pontiff called from the hospital, where he was recovering after surgery for lung cancer.
Melania’s claim that she “single-handedly” negotiated the ceasefire contradicts both the Vatican and Kremlin narratives.
ANDREAS SOLARO/Andreas Solaro, Getty Images
On Saturday, Melania’s top adviser, Marc Beckman, attempted to secure the first lady’s claim to the title of peacemaker while offering a new twist on the 71-year-old pope’s role.
“Yesterday, she negotiated – single-handedly – a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Oleshky region,” Beckman said during an appearance on Fox and Friends Weekend.
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Beckman then suggested that it was precisely Melania’s intervention that inspired Pope Leo to get involved, despite the pontiff’s long-standing calls for peace amid Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“So the First Lady was brought in as an intermediary through official written documents from President Putin and President Zelensky, from Ukraine and from Russia, as I said, over a month ago. And she started the work and she negotiated until the end,” he said. “But through her participation, I guess she caught the attention of the Pope, which is great.”
The ad executive isn’t done pushing for Melania’s ceasefire, adding, “And a few days ago he stepped in and supported her efforts as well, which is, you know, very nice. But at the end of the day, it was the first lady who started the process and managed the whole negotiation.”
Ukraine has repeatedly called for a local ceasefire in Oleshky to facilitate evacuations, but Russian dictator Vladimir has refused to make a commitment until this week.
Alexander Kazakov/via REUTERS
He said the ceasefire in Oleshky, where shortages of food and medical supplies put civilians at risk of starvation and disease, is “the first sign toward real and lasting peace in this war-torn region.”
Beckman also appeared on Kremlin-controlled television to place Melania at the center of the ceasefire deal, telling Vesti TV that the first lady not only initiated the deal, but also “supervised the entire process” and even had a “detailed plan” for the evacuation operation, “every hour and every day.”
Melania’s advisor speaks on Kremlin-controlled television.
Beckman’s comments contradict both the Vatican and the Kremlin’s narrative of preparations for the ceasefire.
Following Pope Leo’s call with Putin, the Kremlin said in an Oct. 16 statement that Putin had agreed to “cooperate” in efforts to “create the necessary conditions” to ensure the safety of Olechky residents and provide them with “vital supplies.”
Meanwhile, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said the ceasefire was an initiative of the pope.
“It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the cause of this besieged city, where some 2,000 civilians need humanitarian routes to escape.”
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