First Lady Melania Trump brokered a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky, the White House said on Friday.
The city, just south of the Dnieper River and across from the much larger city of Kherson, was severely flooded after the 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka Dam and has been largely depopulated. According to the Institute for the Study of War, it is under Russian control, near the line of contact.
“Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” the first lady stated. “Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents, who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food and clean water.”
The White House said that Trump and her representative “worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localized ceasefire.”
“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,” the White House stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for an unconditional ceasefire since 2025, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected.
Putin agreed on Wednesday to resume trilateral talks between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington in November.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that the administration has no plans to involve the first lady in those talks.
“No,” he said, before adding that “it’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
