Russia, Ukraine agree to ceasefire for one city brokered by Melania Trump, White House says

WASHINGTON — U.S. first lady Melania Trump has secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-controlled city of Oleshky, which will begin on October 29, the White House said on Friday. Residents of the southern Ukrainian ⁠town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a deepening food crisis. “Both nations agreed to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway,” a White House statement ⁠said. The development comes as Melania Trump’s husband, ​President Donald ⁠Trump, pressures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, which began when Russia ⁠invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Melania Trump has been active in trying to get ​Ukrainian children ⁠seized by Russia during the ‌war returned to their families. “The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of ‌elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, ‌food, and clean water,” Melania Trump said in the statement. The ceasefire will allow non-military teams from both countries to visit residents in their homes and coordinate transportation for those wishing to evacuate to either ⁠Russia or Ukraine, with an unnamed American media organization accompanying the teams to document the process, the first lady said. Ukraine’s top ⁠negotiator, David Arakhamia, said on Telegram that the humanitarian operation would ​start ⁠once a ceasefire was in place. He said the accord, the result of a long process involving Melania Trump and Pope Leo, would set up a humanitarian corridor for residents to leave and allow assistance into ⁠the town. The Kremlin on Friday confirmed the agreement and said that the Russian and Ukrainian militaries were working to determine the dates ⁠for implementing it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that all civilians ‌wishing to leave Oleshky ‌would be allowed to do so and that the evacuation operation itself was ⁠expected to take at least several days. Peskov praised Melania Trump’s role in securing the agreement, something he said had been discussed in a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir ‌Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. “We ​welcome the efforts of ‌the First Lady ⁠of the United States, Mrs Melania ⁠Trump, who has made a significant contribution to ‌the coordination ​of the humanitarian ‌operation,” Peskov said. Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has a remaining population of 1,700 to 2,000 people — primarily elderly residents, along with about 50 children — down from roughly 24,000 before the war, ‌the White House said. About 90% of the city was flooded ​following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House. The ‌statement said Melania Trump and ⁠her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms ⁠of the localized ceasefire. “Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred ‌destination. I anticipate some ​will want to go to Russia, and ‌some to Ukraine,” Melania Trump said. Newsmax, a right-leaning news outlet, said in a report that its cameras would be granted “exclusive access to document the effort.”