Washington, October 23,2026: US First Lady Melania Trump has secured an agreement between Russia and Ukraine for a localized ceasefire in the Russian-controlled city of Oleshky, which will take effect on October 29, the White House said on Friday.
Residents of the southern Ukrainian city, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a worsening food crisis.
“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 said in a statement.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, David Arakhamia, said in a Telegram post that the humanitarian operation would begin once the ceasefire was in place.
He said the agreement, reached following an extended process involving Melania Trump and Pope Leo, would establish a humanitarian corridor to facilitate the evacuation of residents and the delivery of essential assistance.
In Moscow, the Kremlin welcomed the agreement, saying it would take several days to work out the details of the ceasefire. It praised Melania Trump’s role in securing the arrangement and said US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the details.
Neither side provided further information about the operation.
Earlier this week, the Kremlin said efforts were under way to ease the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky after Putin told the pope that Russia was ready to cooperate on the issue.
The development comes as President Trump presses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach an agreement with Putin to end the war, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Melania Trump has actively worked to secure the return to their families of Ukrainian children taken by Russia during the war.
“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,” she said in the statement.
The ceasefire will allow non-military teams from Russia and Ukraine to visit residents in their homes and coordinate transportation for those wishing to evacuate to either country, according to the first lady.
An unnamed American media organization will accompany the teams to document the operation. Right-leaning news outlet Newsmax reported that its cameras would be granted “exclusive access to document the effort.”
Located across the Dnipro River from the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, Oleshky has an estimated remaining population of 1,700 to 2,000 people, primarily elderly residents, along with around 50 children. Before the war, the city had a population of approximately 24,000, the White House said.
About 90 per cent of the city was flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the statement.
The White House said Melania Trump and her representative had worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to establish the terms of the localized ceasefire.
“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,” the first lady said.
