WASHINGTON: First lady Melania Trump has brokered a coming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday.
The localized ceasefire is set to begin Thursday, with the American first lady saying in a written statement that the situation there is “on the brink of disaster.”
The White House said Melania Trump had initiated discussions after learning about the situation during an event she held during the UN General Assembly session last month. It said she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator for the agreement thanked Melania Trump for her involvement and said the deal would be tough to accomplish.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, 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.
Russia’s chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said Russian forces “will cease fire on the Kherson axis” starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday Moscow time “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 Friday that Melania Trump had brokered an agreement on “organizing 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 organize 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 and that 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 those who evacuate will 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’s her focus,” the president said about his wife during a question-and-answer exchange with journalists at the White House.
Marc Beckman, senior adviser to the first lady, portrayed her work on the ceasefire as an extension of the effort she has been putting in 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.
Trump also recently waived new Russia sanctions, reached an agreement with Russia to import diesel fuel and pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 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 traveled to Norway this week for talks with Zelensky before meeting Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Zelensky 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 organize evacuations. Russia, as the occupying power, is obligated by international law to ensure civilians under its control have what they need to survive.
Melania Trump details the mission
Melania Trump said in the statement that civilian leaders from both countries will visit Oleshky residents to determine what level of assistance they require.
She said residents who want to leave will receive “coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,” adding that she anticipated that some will want to go to either country.
The first lady also said “an impartial American media organization” will accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground throughout the process. The presence of journalists will help ensure everyone’s wishes are “faithfully respected,” she said.
The chosen news organization is Newsmax, a conservative outlet founded by Christopher Ruddy, a longtime friend of President Trump.