Russia and Ukraine Agree to Localised Ceasefire in Oleshky Brokered by Melania Trump: White House
US First Lady Melania Trump has secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the White House has said. The localised ceasefire will take effect in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which has been under Russian occupation since February 2022.
President Donald Trump said the initiative that led to the ceasefire in Oleshky was First Lady Melania Trump's own. The ceasefire is expected to begin within a week.
After the White House announcement on Friday, a senior Ukrainian official told Reuters the ceasefire in Oleshky would take effect soon. A Kremlin spokesman, on the other hand, said the military was working on setting the timing for implementing it on the battlefield.
President Donald Trump's administration has recently launched a renewed diplomatic push to end the war. The announcement came as part of that effort. Under this strategy, pressure on Ukraine is being increased. At the same time, Russia has recently been given several concessions.
In a statement released by the White House, Melania Trump said the situation in Oleshky was extremely alarming. Oleshky is a frontline city standing on the brink of destruction. She said: "The ordinary people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live among mined roads and face regular military attacks. It was absolutely clear that without my intervention, delivering humanitarian aid to the city and safely evacuating the elderly would have been impossible."
The First Lady also said her representatives had worked directly with the leaderships of Russia and Ukraine at the local level to determine the terms of this ceasefire. Melania said civilian leaders of the two countries would work together to deliver humanitarian assistance to the city's ordinary people.
Before the war, Oleshky had a population of 24,000. The city lies on the south-eastern edge of the battlefield. Russia captured it on the very first day of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then the city has remained in turmoil.
If a localised ceasefire takes effect in a frontline city, it is hoped it will create an opportunity to deliver humanitarian aid there and to safely evacuate civilians at risk, especially the elderly.
The announcement is part of the Trump administration's renewed diplomatic activity. However, the Kremlin's remarks indicate that when the ceasefire actually takes effect on the ground depends on the military setting the timing.
If the Oleshky ceasefire is successfully implemented, it will be a rare example of a local understanding in a long war. All eyes will now be on whether the ceasefire truly begins within the next week.
