WASHINGTON — U.S. first lady Melania Trump has secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky, which begins Oct. 29, the White House announced Friday.
Residents of this southern Ukrainian town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a worsening food crisis.
“Both countries agreed to temporarily halt all military action in Oleshky to allow humanitarian assistance to enter and prepare for an evacuation of civilians through a designated safe passage,” a White House statement said.
The development comes as Melania Trump’s husband, President Donald Trump, is pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Melania Trump actively tried to return Ukrainian children seized by Russia during the war to their families.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a frontline war town, on the brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is primarily “elderly residents who are in dire need of medical care, medicine, food and clean water,” Melania Trump said in the statement.
The ceasefire will allow non-military teams from both countries to visit residents in their homes and coordinate transportation of those who wish to evacuate to Russia or Ukraine, with an anonymous U.S. media outlet accompanying the teams to document the process, the first lady said.
Ukraine’s top negotiator, David Arakhamia, said on Telegram that the humanitarian operation would begin once a ceasefire was in place.
He said the agreement, the result of a long process involving Melania Trump and Pope Leo, would establish a humanitarian corridor for residents to leave the city and allow aid to enter the city.
The Kremlin confirmed the deal on Friday and said Russian and Ukrainian militaries were working to determine implementation dates.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday that all civilians “wishing to leave Olechky” would be allowed to do so and that the evacuation operation itself was expected to take at least several days.
Peskov praised Melania Trump’s role in securing the deal, a topic he said was discussed during a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We commend the efforts of the First Lady of the United States, Ms. Melania Trump, who made a significant contribution to the coordination of the humanitarian operation,” Peskov said.
Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has a remaining population of 1,700 to 2,000 people — mostly elderly residents, as well as about 50 children — down from about 24,000 before the war, the White House said. About 90% of the city was flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.
The statement said Melania Trump and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to hammer out the terms of the localized ceasefire.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia and others to Ukraine,” Melania Trump said.
Newsmax, a right-wing media outlet, said in a report that its cameras would be given “exclusive access to document the effort.”
Gn world
