Ukrainians mull funneling money to Melania's book in bid to curry favor with Trump: NYT

Members of the Ukrainian government have reportedly mulled ways to curry favor with President Donald Trump that include funneling money to first lady Melania Trump.

According to the New York Times, "officials in Kyiv have discussed the possibility of brokering a deal to purchase the Ukrainian language rights to Melania Trump’s book, 'Melania.'"

According to the Times' sources, "it was unclear if any in the group had reached out to Ms. Trump’s aides or publisher" and the discussion at the moment is "not more than 'brainstorming' by Zelensky aides on establishing good relations with Mr. Trump."

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Trump, who in the past described Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan to invade Ukraine as "genius," said during the 2024 campaign that he would end the war in Ukraine within a day of taking office.

That has failed to happen, however, and the Ukrainians at the moment are scrambling to ensure future arms supplies from the United States are not cut off entirely.

Vice President J.D. Vance has been openly hostile to helping Ukraine defend itself and has advocated for cutting the country off completely from American supplies.