The White House announced on Friday that First Lady Melania Trump “successfully secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, localized to the city of Oleshky.”
“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,” the White House stated.
“The localized ceasefire will begin on October 29, 2026,” it added.
Ukraine has yet to confirm the ceasefire. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow expressed gratitude to the first lady for helping organize the Oleshky mission, which was discussed during a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump.
“The military are dealing with coordination of the timing of a ceasefire in that area to support this humanitarian mission,” Peskov stated. “Those who wish to leave will be able to do so.”
Peskov declined to specify whether evacuees would be relocated to Russian- or Ukrainian-controlled areas and said the evacuation process would likely take several days.
Melania Trump has made helping children in conflict one of her signature issues, having hosted a U.N. Security Council meeting on the topic earlier this year. She has also written President Putin to work on efforts to reunite families with children displaced by war.
“What she wants to do is save children, and that’s her focus,” the president said during a question-and-answer session with journalists in Washington.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. The remaining population consists primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water,” Melania Trump stated.
“Residents 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 added.
“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. Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,” Melania Trump said, noting that some may want to go to Russia and others to Ukraine.
“I have also secured an impartial American media organization to accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground throughout the process. This will play a significant role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected,” she continued.
Ukraine’s top negotiator, David Arakhamia, said on Telegram that the humanitarian operation would begin once a ceasefire was established.
He described the agreement, which resulted from a long process involving Melania Trump and Pope Leo, as setting up a humanitarian corridor for residents to leave and allowing assistance into the town.
