Melania Trump-brokered one-city ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine takes effect

Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade/AP

A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the occupied city of Oleshky that First Lady Melania Trump helped to broker has now gone into effect, officials on both sides said Tuesday.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliament commissioner for human rights, said the ceasefire went into effect at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time Tuesday in a post to X.

Russia’s defense ministry said on Telegram it stopped shelling in the direction of Oleshky at the same time Tuesday, Reuters news agency reported.

The pause in fighting is intended to help evacuate elderly residents and bring urgently needed humanitarian aid to the town on the frontlines of the fighting, which has been occupied by Russia since the first days of the invasion in 2022. Ukrainian authorities have said about 1,700 people remain in Oleshky.

Lubinets said the ceasefire is “part of a humanitarian mission being carried out with the mediation and coordination of US First Lady Melania Trump, in cooperation with Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights.”

It was unclear how long the ceasefire was due to last.

The First Lady announced Friday she had worked with Ukrainian and Russian leadership to secure the localized ceasefire as the “exclusive intermediary.”

“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks,” Melania Trump said in a statement Friday.

“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,” she added.

“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.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday Kyiv had been working to negotiate this deal for “some time.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov credited Trump for her “significant contribution.”

Donald Trump praised his wife’s efforts on Friday, saying “they contacted both sides, and both sides wanted to do it.” He said that her focus remains on helping the children impacted by the war.

Pope Leo also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky on an October 16 phone call with Putin while in the hospital recovering from lung cancer surgery, according to the Vatican.

The first lady’s office said last week that the circumstances of Oleshky came to her attention during a private discussion at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.

乌克兰第34独立海军陆战旅/美联社

俄乌两国官员周二表示，在第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普的斡旋下，俄乌两国在被占领城市奥列什基达成的局部停火协议现已生效。

乌克兰议会人权事务专员德米特罗·卢比涅茨在发给 X 的一篇帖子中表示，停火于周二凌晨 3 点（基辅时间）生效。

据路透社报道，俄罗斯国防部在 Telegram 上表示，周二同一时间停止了对奥列什基方向的炮击。

暂停战斗旨在帮助疏散老年居民，并将急需的人道主义援助物资运送到位于战斗前线的奥列什基镇。自2022年入侵开始以来，该镇一直被俄罗斯占领。乌克兰当局表示，奥列什基镇仍有约1700人。

卢比涅茨表示，停火是“在美国第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普的调解和协调下，与俄罗斯人权事务专员亚娜·兰特拉托娃合作开展的人道主义任务的一部分”。

目前尚不清楚停火将持续多久。

第一夫人周五宣布，她作为“唯一调解人”，与乌克兰和俄罗斯领导人合作，促成了局部停火。

梅拉尼娅·特朗普周五在一份声明中说：“奥列什基人民电力供应有限，生活在布满地雷的道路上，并且经常遭受军事袭击。”

她补充说：“两国非军事、文职领导人将共同努力，走访奥列什基居民的家中，确定他们需要的援助程度。”

“希望撤离的居民将获得协调一致的支持和交通安排，前往他们选择的目的地。我预计有些人会想去俄罗斯，有些人会想去乌克兰。”

乌克兰总统泽连斯基周六表示，基辅方面已就此协议谈判了“一段时间”。克里姆林宫发言人德米特里·佩斯科夫称赞特朗普做出了“重大贡献”。

唐纳德·特朗普周五赞扬了妻子的努力，称“他们与双方都进行了接触，双方都愿意这样做”。他还表示，她目前的工作重点仍然是帮助受战争影响的儿童。

据梵蒂冈方面消息，教皇利奥三世在10月16日与普京通电话时，也谈到了奥列什基的人道主义危机。当时他正在医院接受肺癌手术后的康复治疗。

第一夫人办公室上周表示，奥列什基的情况是她在9月份于纽约举行的第81届联合国大会期间的一次私人会谈中了解到的。