Russia and Ukraine Agree to Truce for Oleshky
Both sides agreed to stop military action around the Russian-occupied town so aid can reach its remaining residents and those who want to leave can go, in a deal the White House says Melania Trump brokered.
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to halt military action around Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, so humanitarian aid can enter and residents who want to leave can be evacuated through a designated safe passage. The White House said first lady Melania Trump secured the deal, working with Russian and Ukrainian leadership through the channel she used to reunite 34 children separated by the war.
The two start dates differ. The White House said the localized ceasefire will begin on October 29. The BBC reported that Russia and Ukraine both said their forces would stop firing at 02:00 GMT on October 27, which is 10 p.m. Eastern on October 26. Civilian teams from both countries are to visit residents in their homes to assess what they need, and those who leave will be taken to Russia or Ukraine, whichever they choose.
About 24,000 people lived in Oleshky before the war. The White House puts the number left at 1,700 to 2,000, mostly older people, with about 50 children; Ukraine estimates about 6,000 people, including 200 children, in the town and its surroundings, the BBC reported. No end date for the truce has been given.
Oleshky, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop fighting around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky so that food, medicine and water can be brought in and residents who want to leave can be evacuated, under a deal the White House says first lady Melania Trump brokered.
What both sides agreed
According to the White House statement, both countries 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." Mrs. Trump and her representative worked "directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms," the statement said, in what it called her "formal role as Exclusive Intermediary."
The White House said the ceasefire "will begin on October 29." The BBC reported that Ukraine and Russia confirmed the deal and that both said their forces would stop firing at 02:00 GMT on October 27. Davyd Arakhamia, who heads President Volodymyr Zelensky's party in parliament, said "an operation to unblock the settlement of Oleshky and its surroundings will begin in the near future." President Vladimir Putin's spokesman confirmed that "those who wish to do so will be able to leave this settlement," the BBC reported. The White House statement did not say how long the ceasefire would last.
How the evacuation is meant to work
"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," Mrs. Trump said in the statement. "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." She said she had also "secured an impartial American media organization" to accompany and document the teams; it was not named.
She said the town's situation came to her attention at her Fostering the Future Together event in New York during the United Nations General Assembly, and that she used the channel to Moscow and Kyiv built through "the previous six reunifications of 34 children." Both countries assigned teams to work out the details, including demining, she said.
The town
Oleshky sits across the Dnipro from Kherson and was seized by Russia in the first days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. About 24,000 people lived there before the war. The White House estimates 1,700 to 2,000 remain, mostly elderly, with about 50 children, and notes there has been no formal count since 2022; Ukraine estimates about 6,000, including 200 children, in the town and its surroundings, according to the BBC. The town has had no gas or electricity since 2023, the BBC reported, and Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has described a "full blockade" by Russian forces. Ukraine says its recent attempts to deliver supplies have failed. The Kremlin acknowledged in September "problems with supplies of food and medicine" there and blamed Kyiv.