By Steve Holland and Ryan Patrick Jones
WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) – 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 said on Friday.
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.
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 organization 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 1,700 to 2,000 people — primarily elderly residents, along with about 50 children — down from roughly 24,000 before the war, the White House said. About 90% 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 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,” Melania Trump said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey; Writing by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Katharine Jackson, David Ljunggren and Caitlin Webber)
