WASHINGTON — Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop all military action in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky so aid can get in and civilians can leave, the White House said Friday. First lady Melania Trump secured the localized ceasefire, according to her office. It starts Oct. 29.
The halt is temporary. Both sides agreed to let humanitarian aid enter the city and to prepare an evacuation through a designated safe passageway, the statement from the Office of the First Lady said.
“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,”
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks,” she said. “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 and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders on the terms. She initiated the talks and acted in a formal role the statement called Exclusive Intermediary, aligning the two sides on the objectives, timing, procedures and terms.
Civilian teams, not military ones, will do the work on the ground. “Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require,” she said. Residents who want to leave will get coordinated support and transport to their preferred destination. “I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” she said.
An American media organization will go along. Melania Trump said she had secured an impartial American media organization to accompany and document the Russian and Ukrainian teams throughout the process, which she said would help ensure the wishes of each family are respected.
How did Oleshky reach her desk? The statement said the city’s circumstances came to her attention during a private discussion at her Fostering the Future Together event in New York City during the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
From there, she and her representative used a communication channel built earlier, through six reunifications that brought 34 children back to their families. Both nations quickly assigned teams to work out the mechanics, demining included, and all parties have worked around the clock since, she said.
Oleshky sits in southern Ukraine, across the Dnipro River from Kherson. About 24,000 people lived there before the war. The statement estimates 1,700 to 2,000 remain, most of them older people who have been unable to leave, along with about 50 children. No formal count has been taken since 2022. The city has stayed on the front line since the war began, and after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, about 90 percent of its territory was flooded.
There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian or Russian governments on the announcement, The Associated Press reported.
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