First Lady Melania Trump announced on Friday that she helped secure a localized “temporary” ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the town of Oleshky, saying the truce will begin Oct. 29 to allow humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations, according to a statement from her office.
The first lady’s statement said the pause in fighting in the Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s Kherson region was agreed to by both sides “to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway.” Melania Trump described the situation in Oleshky as “dire” and said the remaining population is “comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.” The statement added that without her intervention, “the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”
It is unclear how long the ceasefire will last. The first lady’s office said roughly 1,700–2,000 residents remain in Oleshky out of an estimated prewar population of about 24,000.
Melania Trump says that she helped negotiate temporary ceasefire in Ukrainian town
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the Russian military is coordinating the timing of the ceasefire in the Oleshky area and confirmed that Melania Trump played a coordinating role in reaching the agreement. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on social media that it will carry out the ceasefire orders, according to the reporting.
President Donald Trump, when asked if his wife would participate in trilateral talks, said Friday that it was “not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.” He also told reporters that “what she wants to do is save children, and that’s her focus. And both sides are cooperating with her, so she’s doing a very good job,” as he departed the White House.
The first lady said residents who choose to evacuate “to their preferred destination” will receive assistance from civilian, non-military leaders on both sides. “I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” she said. Melania Trump also said she had obtained assurances that an unnamed “impartial American media organization” will be permitted to accompany Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground; ABC News has reached out to the White House for additional details.
Melania Trump’s office said she became involved in brokering the agreement during a private discussion at her Fostering the Future event at the U.N. General Assembly last month. The first lady has made bringing attention to children affected by the war a priority and has previously said she maintained an “open channel of communication” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, she said she hand-delivered a letter to Putin about protecting Ukrainian children; she said Putin responded by “signaling a willingness to engage with me directly and outlining details regarding the Ukrainian children residing in Russia.”
Localized humanitarian pauses between Russia and Ukraine have occurred before; the story notes a temporary ceasefire in May 2025 during the 80th anniversary commemoration of V Day. This latest truce comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to engage in peace talks between the two countries, even as the president in recent weeks has waived a number of sanctions on Moscow and publicly criticized Kyiv, saying the U.S. had received “nothing” for its support of Ukraine and suggesting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be replaced, according to reporting.
