Melania Trump-Brokered Ceasefire Takes Hold in Russian-Occupied Oleshky, Enabling Humanitarian Aid

A ceasefire negotiated with the mediation of former First Lady Melania Trump went into effect Tuesday in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, halting fighting to allow humanitarian aid delivery and the evacuation of elderly residents.

The pause in hostilities began around 3 a.m. local time as part of a humanitarian mission coordinated by Trump in cooperation with Yana Lantratova, Russia’s commissioner for human rights, according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s commissioner for human rights.

“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Trump said in a statement last week. “Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.”

“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular 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 added.

First lady Melania Trump, left, and civilians being evacuated from Oleshky, Ukraine, in October 2022 during the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war. (Umit Bektas/Reuters; Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

The White House confirmed that both Ukraine and Russia agreed to temporarily halt all military action in Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway.

“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.

Senior advisor Marc Beckman stated that the agreement followed weeks of mediation involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Tuesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Telegram that its armed forces had ceased fire in the Kherson direction in connection with the humanitarian operation in the Oleshky area.

Russian troops have controlled Oleshky since the early days of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters. The city’s pre-war population of approximately 24,000 has dwindled to only a few thousand.

In this undated image from video provided by the Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade “Borysfen” on Sept. 22, 2026, smoke rises from a residential neighborhood in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine. (Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade “Borysfen” via AP)

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