First lady Melania Trump’s office said Friday that she — not President Trump or any other top official — secured a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky on humanitarian grounds.
In an unusual announcement for the first lady’s office, the two countries agreed to temporarily suspend all military action in the southern Ukrainian city “in order to allow humanitarian aid to enter and prepare for an evacuation of civilians through a designated safe passage.” The localized ceasefire will begin on Thursday, October 29.
Russia and Ukraine have not commented on the first lady’s announcement. But Ukrainian officials said there had been an agreement in principle on Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine.
The first lady’s office says she worked “directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to define the terms of the localized ceasefire.”
“The situation in Oleshky is dire,” the first lady said in a statement. “Oleshky is a frontline war town, on the brink of disaster. The remaining population of Oleshky is mainly made up of elderly residents who are in urgent need of medical care, medicine, food and clean water. The residents of Oleshky have little electricity, live among mined roads and experience regular military attacks. It was quite clear that without my intervention, the possibility of bringing humanitarian aid to the town and evacuating the elderly would be impossible.”
The first lady’s office said she “initiated discussions with both countries and aligned the parties on the objectives, technical procedures, timeline, processes and conditions of the agreement, in her formal role as exclusive intermediary.”
“Non-military civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Olechky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they need,” the First Lady said. “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 others to Ukraine.”
The first lady added that she used an American media outlet to document the Russian and Ukrainian teams. Newsmax, a conservative media outlet, said it would go away.
White House communications director Steven Cheung called the announcement “incredible news.”
“This is a major and positive step towards peace,” Cheung said on X. “History will remember his tireless work to help those in need.”
Last week, the The Vatican said Pope Leo spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and “expressed deep concern over the serious humanitarian situation in the town of Oleshky.”
Melania Trump has so far worked to reunite 34 children with their families, after Russia forcibly removed the children.
Although he has said he will end the war between Russia and Ukraine on his first day back in office, peace remains elusive for Mr. Trump. The president has become increasingly frustrated in recent days with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying Ukraine should have a new leader and dismissing concerns about Russia’s continued massacre of Ukrainians.
“Frankly, Russia is doing well with Ukraine,” Mr. Trump told reporters earlier this week. “They didn’t do much.”
American special envoy Steve Wittkoff faced backlash for calling Putin a “humanitarian” following the release of American Stephen Hubbard.
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