WASHINGTON – The White House says first lady Melania Trump helped negotiate a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-damaged city of Oleshky, creating a window for humanitarian deliveries and the evacuation of civilians.
The White House announced the agreement in a news release Friday, saying the localized truce is scheduled to begin Oct. 29.
According to the White House, the first lady initiated the talks and, alongside a representative, worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to establish the ceasefire’s terms. Neither the Ukrainian nor Russian government immediately commented.
Oleshky, located on the Dnipro River between Ukrainian forces and Russian occupiers, has faced severe shortages of food and medical supplies for months. The city has no electricity, heating or running water, while roads leading out are mined and lined with burned-out vehicles. Drones continue to hover overhead. Once home to roughly 24,000 people, Oleshky was seized by Russian forces on the first day of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Shelling and fires destroyed buildings and damaged critical infrastructure. The situation worsened in June 2023, when floodwaters engulfed the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed in an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military, killing hundreds of residents. With another brutal winter approaching, those still in the battered city on Ukraine’s southeastern front face deadly risks from hunger and disease. Ukraine has repeatedly called for a local ceasefire to arrange civilian evacuations, while Russia, as the occupying power, is required under international law to provide civilians under its control with the necessities for survival but had made no such commitment.
