Ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump takes effect in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine town

A localized ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia took effect on Tuesday after first lady Melania Trump announced last week she secured a temporary humanitarian agreement for the border city of Oleshky.

The Russian-occupied town is located in southern Ukraine, and residents have faced shortages in food and medicine amid the ongoing war .

The pause in hostilities began at 3 a.m. local time and is set to last through Saturday to allow for a humanitarian mission to be carried out, according to authorities on both sides of the conflict.

Around 2,000 people are reportedly trapped in the city, including a large elderly population, because of explosive mines and drone attacks in the region.

The first lady characterized Oleshky as a “front-line war city on the brink of disaster” in a press release announcing the ceasefire agreement Friday.

“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks,” Trump said in a statement. “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 brokered the agreement between Russia and Ukraine with the support of Pope Leo XIV. The humanitarian mission includes sending in doctors, food and other aid to the city before an evacuation corridor is opened.

Outside of Oleshky, the war has waged on, with Russian forces hitting a university campus in Kyiv with ballistic missiles overnight, killing at least one person and injuring 12 others, according to local officials.

Authorities in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, said Russian attacks late Monday killed two people and injured four.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country’s energy facilities, logistics and infrastructure were under attack in 11 different regions.

“Russia is constantly taking new steps toward escalation,” he wrote on social media . “Pressure on Russia and real support for Ukraine are needed to change the situation.”

“I thank everyone who truly supports our efforts to protect lives and understands the importance of support packages arriving on time,” Zelensky continued. “We must bring peace closer and save lives.”

Russian authorities said a drone attack near the country’s border with Ukraine killed one person and injured 30 others.

Both sides deny deliberately targeting citizens in the ongoing conflict, which has lasted for more than four years.

The aid mission in Oleshky comes ahead of planned trilateral talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia to bring this war to a close. The negotiations are scheduled for next month in Abu Dhabi.