US First Lady Melania Trump has secured a temporary, localised ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine covering the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians, the White House said on Friday.
The truce is due to take effect on October 29. Both sides agreed to suspend military operations in the southern Ukrainian city and establish a designated safe corridor for residents wishing to leave, according to a White House statement.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said. “Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.”
She added that residents face limited electricity, mined roads and regular military attacks. “It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”
The first lady and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the agreement, acting in what the White House described as her formal role as exclusive intermediary. Non-military civilian leaders from both countries will assess residents’ needs in their homes, the statement said. Those who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated transport to their preferred destination, with some expected to choose Russia and others Ukraine.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine immediately commented on the announcement.
Oleshky, in the Kherson region, was seized by Russian forces in the first days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Once home to about 24,000 people, it now holds an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 residents, mostly elderly, along with around 50 children. Ukrainian officials have previously described the population as cut off from food, electricity and water, with some residents resorting to eating garden weeds. Ukraine has used drones to drop supplies into the city in recent months.
The development follows Melania Trump’s earlier involvement in efforts to reunite children displaced by the war.
