White House: Melania Trump mediates ceasefire in southern Ukrainian city

The White House announced on Friday that First Lady Melania Trump successfully brokered a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv in the city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, to take effect on October 29.

Residents of Oleshky, which has been occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, reported a worsening food crisis.

In a statement, the White House said, “Both sides agreed to a temporary halt of all military operations in Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare for the evacuation of civilians through a designated safe corridor.”

This development comes amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war that erupted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Melania Trump has been actively involved in efforts to return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the war to their families.

In a statement, Melania Trump said, “The situation in Oleshky is tragic. Oleshky is a city on the front line of the war, on the brink of disaster. The remaining residents are primarily elderly people who require urgent medical care, as well as medicines, food, and clean water.”

The First Lady noted that the ceasefire would allow non-military teams from both sides to visit residents in their homes and coordinate the transfer of those wishing to evacuate to Russia or Ukraine. These teams would be accompanied by an unnamed U.S. media organization to document the process.

The White House statement said that the First Lady and her representatives worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to determine the terms of the ceasefire in Oleshky.