Melania Trump brokers Oleshky deal with Russia, Ukraine
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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 says.
Residents of the southern Ukrainian town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a deepening 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,” a White House statement said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that all civilians wishing to leave Oleshky would be allowed to do so and that the evacuation operation itself was expected to take at least several days.
Peskov praised the first lady’s role in securing the agreement, something he said had been discussed in a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
“We welcome the efforts of the First Lady of the United States, Mrs Melania Trump, who has made a significant contribution to the coordination of the humanitarian operation,” Peskov said.
Ukraine’s top negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed on Telegram a ceasefire would be established in Oleshky soon, as would an operation to establish permanent humanitarian corridors for evacuations and food deliveries.
He did not provide additional details on the operation.
The Kremlin said earlier this week that work was underway to ease the humanitarian situation in Oleshky after Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo he was ready to cooperate on the issue.
The development comes as Melania Trump’s husband, President Donald Trump, pressures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Melania Trump has been active in trying to get Ukrainian children seized by Russia during the war returned to their families.
“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,” Melania Trump said in the statement.
The ceasefire will allow non-military teams from both countries to visit residents in their homes and coordinate transportation for those wishing to evacuate to either Russia or Ukraine, with an unnamed American media organisation accompanying the teams to document the process, the first lady said.
Newsmax, a right-leaning news outlet, said in a report that its cameras would be granted “exclusive access to document the effort.”
Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has a remaining population of 1700 to 2000 people – primarily elderly residents, along with about 50 children – down from roughly 24,000 before the war, the White House said. About 90 per cent of the city was flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.
The statement said Melania Trump and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localised 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,” Melania Trump said.
Reuters