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Ceasefire negotiated by Melania Trump holds in Russia-occupied Ukrainian city

12:34 PM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: A ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky allows for humanitarian aid and civilian evacuation, brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.

A ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky began on October 23, allowing for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, according to multiple reports.

The ceasefire was brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, who initiated discussions after learning about the dire situation during an event at the UN General Assembly last month.

According to Dmytro Lubinets, the parliamentary commissioner for human rights in Ukraine, the Ukrainian side is honoring its commitments under the ceasefire.

The ceasefire will last until November 1, with the aim of facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians through a designated safe passageway.

Oleshky, a city of about 24,000 residents, was captured by Russian forces on the first day of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The city has faced severe humanitarian challenges, including limited electricity, mined roads, and regular military attacks.

Melania Trump emphasized the importance of her intervention, stating that without her involvement, bringing humanitarian aid into the city and evacuating the elderly would have been impossible.

The first lady said that an impartial American media organization would accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams throughout the process.

Residents of Oleshky expressed hope that the ceasefire would be implemented and that the Russian side would keep its word.

The ceasefire began around 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday, as part of a humanitarian mission being carried out with the mediation and coordination of Melania Trump and Yana Lantratova, Russia’s commissioner for human rights.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• “As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honouring its commitments,” Dmytro Lubinets, the parliamentary commissioner for human rights, said in a Facebook post confirming Russia’s timing of its halt.
• “The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. 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 said in a statement issued by the White House.
• In this undated image from video provided by the Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen" on Sept. 22, 2026, smoke rises from a residential neighborhood in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine. (Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen" via AP) Fresh strikes also hit a bridge and subway infrastructure in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
• Tue, Oct 27, 2026 | Jumada al-Awwal 15, 1448 | Fajr 05:05 | DXB 31.5 °C US 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 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.
• In June 2023, floodwaters inundated the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed from an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military.
• Melania Trump says she helped to broker a localised ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, according to the White House.
• The White House said Melania Trump had initiated discussions after learning about the situation during an event she held during the UN General Assembly session last month.

What's still developing

• Then, on October 23, a brief ceasefire was announced.
• Pope Leo spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin via phone call on October 16 and expressed his “deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky”, adding that he had called for a ceasefire to allow for food and medical assistance.
• On Telegram, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that it had stopped shelling in the direction of Ukraine’s city of Kherson from 4am Moscow time (01:00 GMT) on Tuesday, to prepare for the effort in Oleshky.
• A critical localised ceasefire in Ukraine that promises to help more than 1,000 civilians has set off an unlikely contest over who brokered the truce.
• Here’s what we know about the Oleshky ceasefire, and why the diverging versions of what led to the truce matter: Russia took the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky in the Kherson region in the early days of the invasion in February 2022 and has retained control over it since.
• "I want to hope that things will indeed work out this way, that the agreement will actually be implemented, and that the Russian side will keep its word," Olha Haiduk, 59, told Reuters.
• Oleshky is about 340 miles southeast of Kyiv and across the Dnipro River from the city of Kherson, the region’s administrative capital, which Russian forces seized in the early stages of the 2022 invasion, though they later retreated across the river.
• "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.
• Ukraine’s lead negotiator for the agreement is thanking Melania Trump for her involvement and says the deal would be “extremely challenging to implement.” A Russian general says Russian forces will cease fire on Tuesday.
• "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.” The first lady has been heavily involved in humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine War, most notably working to reunite families separated from their children by the conflict.
• "For several weeks, we discussed many questions, initiatives and ideas. We established new approaches, mechanisms and tools to do everything possible to help civilians in Oleshky survive."
• The White House said the ceasefire in the ‘frontline war city on the brink of disaster’ will begin next week The White House said the ceasefire in the ‘frontline war city on the brink of disaster’ will begin next week Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?

Sources

• Al Jazeeralink
• Fox Newslink
• LBClink
• One America News Networklink
• Khaleejtimeslink
• DWlink
• Los Angeles Timeslink
• Gloucestertimeslink
• Abclink
• Justthenewslink
• Arabnewslink
• PBSlink
• Independentlink
• WarpBeat — background on Melania Trump Helps Broker Ceasefire in Oleshky link
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