WASHINGTON — US First Lady Melania Trump has secured a temporary ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, scheduled to begin on Oct 29, the White House said.
The agreement will halt all military action in the city to allow humanitarian aid to enter and enable the evacuation of civilians through a designated safe passageway. Oleshky has been under Russian control since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said in a statement. She said the remaining population consists mainly of elderly residents who urgently need medical care, medicines, food and clean water.
The White House said the First Lady and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to finalise the terms of the localised ceasefire. Non-military teams from both countries will visit residents at home and arrange transport for those wishing to evacuate to either Russia or Ukraine.
Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, now has an estimated population of 1,700 to 2,000 people, including about 50 children, down from roughly 24,000 before the war. About 90 per cent of the city was flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.
The development comes as US President Donald Trump continues to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. Melania Trump has previously been involved in efforts to secure the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the conflict.