First Lady Melania Trump is helping broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the front-line city of Oleshky, her office announced Friday, amid a growing humanitarian crisis.
The agreement is set to take effect on October 29 to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations. Under the truce, both countries will temporarily halt military operations in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city. Civilian representatives will then assess residents’ needs and coordinate assistance and transportation for those who want to leave, according to a statement from the first lady.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire,” Melania Trump said, describing the city’s remaining population as primarily elderly people in urgent need of medical care, medicine, food, and clean water. “Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster.”
She said residents continue to endure electricity shortages, dangerous mined roads, and ongoing 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 said.
Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has been largely emptied by the war. Once home to roughly 24,000 people, it now has an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 residents, including about 50 children. No formal population count has been conducted since 2022.
The city has remained on the front line since the war began, with much of its population displaced or evacuated. Following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023, approximately 90% of Oleshky’s territory was flooded.
At the White House Friday, a reporter asked Trump whether Melania should join the expected trilateral peace talks.
“No, but it’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” Trump said. “What she wants to do is save children. And that’s her focus. And both sides are cooperating with her. So, doing a very good job.”
The first lady said she and her envoy negotiated the ceasefire directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders, setting its terms and timeline in what her statement called an “Exclusive Intermediary” role.
“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. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” Trump said.
The effort began after Trump learned of conditions in Oleshky during a private discussion at her Fostering the Future Together event in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
“My representative and I immediately leveraged the communication channel we established with Russia and Ukraine through the previous six reunifications of 34 children,” she explained. “Both nations promptly assigned teams to coordinate the complex mechanics involved, including demining. All parties have worked around the clock since that moment.”
Last year, Trump also led efforts to reunite Ukrainian children displaced by the war with their families, The Daily Wire reported.
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