The White House said Friday that first lady Melania Trump had secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city under Russian control, to allow aid into the city and civilians out.1,4,7,8
The White House said both countries had agreed “to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway.” It described the arrangement as a localized ceasefire, and its statement said Melania Trump and her representative had worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms.1,4,8
The White House said the ceasefire would begin Thursday, and The Hill and the Daily Wire both gave October 29 as the start date. A separate timetable came from Russia's military. The chief of staff of Russian forces, Valery Gerasimov, said on the Defence Ministry’s Telegram channel that Russian troops would halt fire from 4 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Tuesday to allow the humanitarian operation to start. The reports did not explain how the Tuesday halt in fire related to the Thursday start of the ceasefire.1,4,8
Ukraine’s top negotiator, David Arakhamia, said on Telegram that the humanitarian operation would start once a ceasefire was in place. He described the accord as the result of a long process involving Melania Trump and Pope Leo, and said it would set up a humanitarian corridor for residents to leave and allow assistance into the town. Al Jazeera reported that neither Russia nor Ukraine had immediately confirmed the White House statement on Friday.1,7
In Moscow, the Kremlin welcomed the agreement and praised Melania Trump’s role in securing it. It said President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the details. The Kremlin had said earlier in the week that work was under way to ease the humanitarian situation in Oleshky after Putin told the pope he was ready to cooperate on the issue.1
Oleshky sits across the Dnipro River from the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson and has been occupied by Russian forces since February 2022. Residents have reported a deepening food crisis. The White House said the remaining population is 1,700 to 2,000 people, including about 50 children, down from roughly 24,000 before the war. It also said about 90% of the city was flooded after the 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. The Daily Wire reported that no formal population count had been conducted since 2022.1,8
In the statement, Melania Trump said: “The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.” She also said that “the people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks.”1,7,8
Under the arrangement, non-military teams from both countries would visit residents in their homes and coordinate transportation for those who wish to evacuate to either Russia or Ukraine, the first lady said. She said an unnamed American media organization would accompany the teams to document the process. Newsmax said in its own report that its cameras would be granted “exclusive access to document the effort.” “Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,” Melania Trump said. “I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.”1,8
The Daily Wire reported that the effort began after the first lady learned of conditions in Oleshky during a private discussion at her Fostering the Future Together event in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly. In the statement, she said: “My representative and I immediately leveraged the communication channel we established with Russia and Ukraine through the previous six reunifications of 34 children.” She added: “Both nations promptly assigned teams to coordinate the complex mechanics involved, including demining. All parties have worked around the clock since that moment.”8
Melania Trump has been active in trying to get Ukrainian children seized by Russia during the war returned to their families. The Daily Wire reported that she also led efforts last year to reunite displaced Ukrainian children with their families.1,8
Asked at the White House on Friday whether the first lady should join the expected trilateral peace talks, Donald Trump said: “No, but it’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. What she wants to do is save children. And that’s her focus. And both sides are cooperating with her. So, doing a very good job.”8
The announcement comes as Donald Trump presses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reach an agreement with Putin to end the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The reports do not say whether the Russian halt in fire on Tuesday has begun or how many of Oleshky’s remaining residents will choose to evacuate. Al Jazeera described the story as developing.1,4,7,8
