This photo is real. The first ladies met at the UN General Assembly in late September and discussed the protection of Ukrainian children
Russian sources claim that the Ukrainian media allegedly fabricated the fact of Olena Zelenska’s meeting with Melania Trump. The first lady of Ukraine was allegedly inserted into a photo of Melania Trump, who was actually photographed with Queen Rania al-Abdallah of Jordan. Propagandists believe that since Melania Trump never appears in public in the same outfit twice, the photo must be edited.
However, this accusation against the Ukrainian media is completely unfounded. First, the photos are not identical: Melania Trump’s facial expression and leg position are different in the photos. And secondly, the US First Lady took joint photos with Olena Zelenska and the Queen of Jordan on the same day, which is why she is wearing the same white suit. Both meetings took place as part of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York. There are no signs of editing on the photo with Zelenska.
At the meeting, Olena Zelenska thanked Melania Trump for her support for Ukraine, especially for her attention to children victims of the Russian Federation’s brutal invasion. In particular, she noted the US First Lady’s letter to Vladimir Putin, in which she called on him to make peace for the sake of children. «I believe in the effectiveness of soft power, in humanity, empathy and the ability to change the world for the better. I am confident that by working together we will be able to help all children in need», Olena Zelenska noted during a conversation with Melania Trump.
During the 2025 UN General Assembly session, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held about 20 bilateral meetings, including with US President Donald Trump, whom he called on to increase pressure on Russia and impose tough sanctions. In addition, Ukraine initiated a resolution at the UN condemning the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children, which received the support of more than 30 delegations. During Zelensky’s meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the leaders discussed the protection of religious freedom, the influence of the Russian Church, and further coordination of support for Ukraine.
We have already refuted a similar narrative on the topic of so-called «disinformation» in Ukrainian media in the article Fake: Ukrainian TV Doctored Zelensky’s UN Broadcast. We also recently analyzed another Kremlin accusation against Olena Zelenska — propagandists claimed that the first lady spent more than a billion euros on designer clothing.
