White House says Melania Trump ‘secured a ceasefire’ in Ukraine’s Oleshky

No confirmation from Russia or Ukraine as White House says ‘localised’ ceasefire to take effect in Russian-occupied Oleshky.

The White House has said First Lady Melania Trump has “secured a ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which has been occupied by Russia since February 2022.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine immediately confirmed the statement on Friday, which comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has renewed diplomacy aimed at ending the war.

The approach has included upping pressure on Ukraine and handing several recent concessions to Russia.

“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure 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,” she said.

The First Lady added that her representatives worked directly with “Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localized ceasefire” and that civilian leaders from both countries will work together to grant humanitarian access to civilians in the city.

Oleshky, which had a population of 24,000 people before the war, sits along the southeastern front of the conflict. It was captured by Russia during the first day of the invasion in February 2022 and experienced heavy shelling.

While most residents have fled, those who remain have faced dire food and medical shortages. Both sides have accused the other of staunching the flow of supplies.

In her statement, Melania Trump said those of the estimated 2,000 remaining residents who wish to be evacuated will be transported to their “preferred destination”, she said, adding, “I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine”.

The first lady added that “an impartial American media organisation” will accompany both Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground. She did not identify the organisation.

“This will play a significant role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected,” she said.

Melania Trump had previously worked to reunify children seized by Russia during the war.

The announcement comes after the Kremlin said it had agreed to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine as early as next month, although both sides remain far apart on terms of a possible deal.

The Trump administration has upped rhetorical pressure on Ukraine while simultaneously offering several concessions to Russia.

The administration has said those concessions, which include purchasing diesel from Russia and waiving some sanctions, are aimed at reducing high fuel costs spurred by the US-Israel war with Iran.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has complained of disruptions to its Starshield military satellite system, upon which it relies for much of its air defence. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since said an agreement has been reached to resolve the issues.

Starshield is a version of the Starlink system operated under billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX.