The White House has said a “localized” ceasefire will take effect, while Russia and Ukraine say the timing is being determined.
The White House said US First Lady Melania Trump had “secured a ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine in the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, which has been occupied by Russia since February 2022.
Following Friday’s announcement, a senior Ukrainian official told the Reuters news agency that a ceasefire in Oleshky would be established soon. A Kremlin spokesman said the military was working to coordinate the schedule.
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It comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration has renewed diplomacy aimed at ending the war. This approach has included increasing pressure on Ukraine and recently granting several concessions to Russia.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a frontline war town on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said in a statement released by the White House.
“The residents of Oleshky have little electricity, live among mined roads and regularly face military attacks. It was quite clear that without my intervention it would be impossible to deliver humanitarian aid to the town and evacuate the elderly,” she said.
The First Lady added that her representatives were working directly with “Russian and Ukrainian leaders to define the terms of the localized ceasefire” and that civilian leaders from both countries would work together to grant humanitarian access to civilians in the city.
Oleshky, which had a population of 24,000 before the war, lies along the southeastern front of the conflict. It was captured by Russia on the first day of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 and came under heavy bombardment.
While most residents fled, those who remained faced severe food and medical shortages. Both sides blamed each other for stopping the flow of supplies.
In her statement, Melania Trump said the truce will allow the approximately 2,000 remaining residents who want to be evacuated to be transported to their “preferred destination” in Russia or Ukraine.
The First Lady added that “an impartial American media” would accompany the Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground. She did not identify the organization.
“This will play an important role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected,” she said.
Melania Trump previously worked to reunify children captured by Russia during the war.
Ukraine confirms negotiations
The announcement comes after the Kremlin said it had agreed to resume negotiations with Ukraine under US mediation next month, although the two sides remain far apart on the terms of a possible deal.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian negotiators would participate in negotiations in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.
Zelenskyy said he spoke with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, adding that any peace deal “would require” strong security guarantees and funding for 10 years “to maintain its military.”
The Trump administration said its recent concessions to Moscow, including buying diesel from Russia and lifting some sanctions, were aimed at reducing high fuel costs caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has complained of disruptions in its Starshield military satellite system, on which it depends for much of its air defense.
Starshield is a military-grade version of the Starlink system operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Ukrainian officials said Friday they still faced speed restrictions on the Starlink communications system, although Trump said a day earlier that services had been fully restored.
Trump said he would speak to Musk if the problem persisted.
“If there’s a problem, I’ll fix it,” Trump said.
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