Melania Trump brokered ceasefire at besieged Ukrainian town, White House says

Melania Trump brokered ceasefire at besieged Ukrainian town, White House says A humanitarian ceasefire will begin late next week, the White House said in a statement./ October 23, 2026 at 10:27 a.m. EDT 2 min Summary 296 First lady Melania Trump on Monday. (Alex Brandon/AP) By Michael Birnbaum and Francesca Ebel First lady Melania Trump brokered a limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for humanitarian relief in the besieged and occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, the White House said Friday, in an unusual direct intervention by a person who rarely gets involved in foreign policy. /Get concise answers to your questions. Try Ask The Post AI. Ukraine and Russia both agreed to a temporary halt to military action around the town starting Oct. 29, the White House said in a statement. Oleshky has been occupied by Russia since 2022, and residents who have tried to escape to Ukrainian-held territory have been killed by attack drones. Ukraine has attempted to make humanitarian deliveries by drone, and it succeeded in making a food drop in late September. Before last month, there had been no food delivery since May 26. “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,” the first lady said in a statement. “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. About 1,700 people, including about 50 children, remain trapped in the town, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Russia has denied there is a humanitarian crisis there. About 24,000 people lived in Oleshky before the war. The White House said that the first lady “initiated discussions with both nations and aligned the parties on the agreement’s objectives, technical procedures, timing, processes, and terms, in her formal role as Exclusive Intermediary.” “What she wants to do is save children, and that’s her focus,” President Donald Trump told reporters Friday at the White House. “And both sides are cooperating with her, so, doing a very good job.” Melania Trump has at times intervened in the war between Russia and Ukraine, working to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who had become separated from their families in Russian-held territory. Last year, she sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking his help to allow children to return to Ukrainian-held territory, and she later said that she had an “open channel of communication” with Putin on the subject. It wasn’t clear at the time whether she had spoken directly to Putin or was communicating through intermediaries. An adviser to the first lady, Marc Beckman, told Newsmax on Friday that she learned about the situation in the town at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September and that afterward “she opened up communications directly with Ukraine and directly with Russia specific to Oleshky. Both sides formally recognized her as an intermediary and in writing, and they gave her the power to negotiate this ceasefire. And she’s been working tirelessly now for over a month to make sure that this occurs.” Most Read in Europe Next In the streets of Paris, a common refrain: ‘People are fed up’ In the streets of Paris, a common refrain: ‘People are fed up’ October 23, 2026 Ukraine says satellite access still restricted despite Trump saying otherwise Ukraine says satellite access still restricted despite Trump saying otherwi... 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Some parts of the town were left under 20 feet of water, and other land was left barren and impossible to cultivate. The town hasn’t had power or reliable water supplies since the dam was destroyed. The White House was embracing the good publicity of the deal: The first lady said in her statement that she “secured an impartial American media organization,” pro-Trump Newsmax, “to accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground.” The Kremlin said it supported Trump’s efforts. “Russia welcomes the efforts of Melania Trump, who made a significant contribution to organizing the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, in the Kherson region,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. “A great deal of work was done with the direct involvement of the U.S. first lady.” Peskov said that people who wish to leave the town will be allowed to depart unhindered and that the Russian military was still working on the timing of the ceasefire. Ebel reported from Kyiv. Natalia Abbakumova in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report. What readers are saying The comments express widespread skepticism and disbelief regarding claims that Melania Trump brokered a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Many commenters mock the idea, comparing it to fictional or absurd scenarios, and question the credibility of the White House's... Show more This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments. Comments 277