WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump brought Russian and Ukrainian representatives together at the White House on Thursday and called for a full peace deal, saying the six-day cease-fire she helped broker in Oleshky should lead to “something more enduring than a temporary cease-fire.”
“We have chosen humanity over war.”
“We must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people,” she said at the event.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, was there with her, and so was the Russian ombudsman, Yana Lantratova. Lubinets and Lantratova had both overseen the evacuation of Oleshky, the Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region.
She had also brought letters. Mrs. Trump said she wrote them herself — one to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, one to Russian President Vladimir Putin — and she asked the envoys in the room to deliver them for her.
“The ceasefire in Oleshky would not be possible without President Putin and President Zelensky,” she said. “Their cooperation establishes a meaningful percentage for advancing peace throughout the region.”
Letters, an Award and a Child’s Painting
Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev spoke, too. According to the Associated Press, Dmitriev thanked her for her “distinguished humanitarian role” in securing the cease-fire.
Dmitriev said Mr. Putin had personally given the instructions needed for the operation and had sent his thanks. He presented Mrs. Trump with a painting by an 11-year-old who was safely evacuated from Oleshky.
The Ukrainian side gave her Ukraine’s Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class. President Zelenskyy awarded it for her humanitarian work.
Ukrainian lawmaker David Arakhamia thanked her, too. “Your leadership, your brave heart, for saving our people, and for returning back to Ukrainian children,” he said. “You did so a lot for us, and I have only one request from all Ukraine — please continue to do your wonderful work and support people.”
What the Six Days in Oleshky Allowed
The White House said Mrs. Trump started the engagement between the two countries herself. The cease-fire was signed on Oct. 23 and ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1.
During those six days, humanitarian aid reached Oleshky and residents could leave. The first lady helped broker the pause in a city her office had described as “on the brink of disaster.”
She told the gathering she had taken part in the planning herself. “I was involved in every stage of the planning,” she said. “I reviewed the mining plans, aerial images, assessed roadways, discussed evacuations, hospital access, vehicles, and medical resources.”
“What matters is not the modesty of this beginning, but the determination to turn it into something extraordinary,” she said.
The meeting came ahead of talks between U.S., Ukrainian and Russian officials set for Nov. 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi. Mrs. Trump has not ruled out a trip of her own to Ukraine at a later date.
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