Washington: Ukraine's top negotiator involved in a humanitarian mission led by US first lady Melania Trump told The Associated Press that a local ceasefire with Russia will start Tuesday -- two days before the mission begins -- and last several days.
Ukrainian, Russian and US negotiators reached a deal on Friday to provide humanitarian assistance in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, in the war-divided region of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
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Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian ombudsman and his country's chief negotiator in the talks, said the ceasefire would take effect across the Kherson region and neighbouring areas essential to the operation. He added that the initiative could act as a model for future humanitarian missions.
The White House said Melania Trump had initiated discussions after learning about the situation during an event she hosted during last month's UN General Assembly session. It said she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. Russian officials also confirmed the arrangement.
Lubinets earlier on Friday thanked Melania Trump for her involvement and said the deal would be tough to accomplish. He said the agreement calls for a ceasefire, followed by the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid. Lastly, civilians will be allowed to leave Oleshky, he said in a video message posted online.
"The operation will be carried out gradually and is extremely challenging to implement," Lubinets said.
The removal of mines comes first
Lubinets said the operation would involve removing mines on the way to Oleshky before the physical delivery of humanitarian aid and the arranging of evacuations.
He gave no further details on how the ceasefire or the aid mission would be monitored or implemented, citing the sensitivity of the negotiations. He declined to comment when asked if Melania Trump would travel to Ukraine but described her involvement as invaluable.
"When Melania Trump learned about the situation in Oleshky, the negotiation process began under her coordination," he said. "For several weeks, we discussed many questions, initiatives and ideas. We established new approaches, mechanisms and tools to do everything possible to help civilians in Oleshky survive."
Russia's chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said Russian forces "will cease fire on the Kherson axis" starting at 4 am on Tuesday in Moscow "in connection with the humanitarian operation near Oleshky". Russian forces will also carry out "engineering reconnaissance" and ensure "safe movement of the humanitarian convoy" into the city, Gerasimov said.
Russia's human rights ombudswoman, Yana Lantratova, confirmed on Friday that Melania Trump had brokered an agreement on "organising a humanitarian mission" in Oleshky. Lantratova, who said she participated in negotiations, said providing such assistance is Russia's priority.
The first step will be to clarify what people need and organise the delivery of food, medicine, hygiene products and other essentials, Lantratova said in an online statement. Safe passage will be guaranteed for anyone who wants to leave the combat zone, she said, adding that it will require abiding by the ceasefire and creating safe conditions for humanitarian vehicles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was grateful to the first lady. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump had recently discussed the effort.
Peskov said "those who want to leave it would be able to do so". He would not say whether they would be taken to Russia- or Ukraine-held territory. He also demurred when asked how long the evacuation will last, saying only it would most likely take several days.
Saving children is the first lady's focus, president says
Melania Trump has made helping children in conflict zones one of her signature issues in her husband's second term. She hosted a UN Security Council meeting on the issue earlier this year, and last year wrote Putin about efforts to reunite families with children who have been displaced by the war. She has helped reunite nearly three dozen children, according to her senior adviser, Marc Beckman.
"What she wants to do is save children, and that is her focus," the president said about his wife during a question-and-answer exchange with journalists at the White House.
Beckman portrayed the first lady's work on the ceasefire as an extension of her efforts to help reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families after they were separated by Russia's war against Ukraine.
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv are rising
The development comes as tensions have increased to new highs between the Trump administration and Ukraine's government. Kyiv has faced restrictions on the satellite internet system it relies on to knock down Russian attacks, with Trump and other top US officials sending mixed messages about who was responsible for throttling the Elon Musk-made Starshield system.
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Trump also recently waived new Russia sanctions, reached an agreement with Russia to import diesel fuel and pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal to end the war that Russia began in February 2022. In renewed efforts to revive the peace process, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Norway this week for talks with Zelenskyy before meeting Putin in St Petersburg, Russia.
Zelenskyy did not mention the ceasefire in Oleshky during a remote appearance at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank. He did note that American Patriot missile interceptors were still on hold and Starshield and Starlink speed limits were still in place.
He also spoke of the importance of the United States to renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war, including a possible joint meeting with Trump and Putin.
The situation in Oleshky is dire
Food and medical supplies have been scarce for months in Oleshky, which sits on the Dnipro river that separates Ukrainian forces from the city's Russian occupiers. There is no electricity, heat or running water. Roads leading from town are mined and dotted with burned-out cars. Drones buzz overhead.
Once a city of about 24,000 residents, Oleshky was captured by Moscow's forces on the first day of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its buildings were shelled and burned, and its infrastructure damaged. In June 2023, floodwaters inundated the city after the Kakhovka dam collapsed from an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military. Hundreds of residents were killed.
Those left in the city along Ukraine's southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms. Ukraine has appealed repeatedly for a local ceasefire to organise evacuations. Russia, as the occupying power, is obligated by international law to ensure civilians under its control have what they need to survive.