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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Melania Trump teased she may make a personal trip to Ukraine and thanked Pope Leo XIV for his support amid a controversy over the role the pontiff played in negotiations for a localized cease-fire.
“We will see,” she told The Post when asked Saturday if she’d journey to the war-torn country.
“It could happen,” President Trump chimed in. The first couple spoke to reporters in Palm Beach after they cast their ballots in early voting for the midterm election.
The first lady, for the first time, addressed the cease-fire she said she brokered between Russia and Ukraine for the city of Oleshky, which is facing starvation.
Trump revealed she spoke to both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky as part of her work.
“We talked. We signed the agreement,” she revealed.
President Trump, who has been trying to negotiate a long term cease-fire between the two nations, said his wife is doing better than his professional envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
“She does better than our professionals,” he said as the first lady smiled.
And he didn’t rule out sending her in to join the negotiations.
“I think she’s doing better than the professionals right now,” he said. “She got a ceasefire. This has to do with children and people, elderly people.”
Oleshky, in the Kherson region, is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. About five miles behind the front lines, the city of about 2,000 residents consists mostly of elderly and children, who are reduced to eating grass.
Melania Trump on Friday issued a shocking announcement that she had brokered a localized ceasefire for the city so that its population can be evacuated and humanitarian aid can be delivered.
She received international acclaim for her work but questions arose on Saturday about the role Pope Leo played after it was revealed he also called Zelensky and Putin to urge a ceasefire. His calls were a few days before the first lady announced the deal was secured.
The pontiff contacted Putin on Oct. 16 and then spoke to Zelensky three days later.
“It is great to have Pope’s support, and they are starting a ceasefire on Oct. 27, and I hope everything goes as it’s planned,” the first lady told The Post.
Democrats accused Melania Trump of stealing the pope’s credit but both Russia and Ukraine confirmed her role in brokering the deal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the first lady’s involvement in securing the cease-fire, as did Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Pope Leo has been critical of the Trump administration.
Melania Trump has worked on humanitarian issues tied to the war, including helping to reunite 34 Russian and Ukrainian children with their families.