Melania Trump says she secured a local ceasefire in Ukraine's Oleshky
- Melania Trump says a local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine will start in Oleshky on October 29.
- Her office says the truce will let aid in and allow about 2,000 remaining residents to leave.
- Moscow and Kyiv have not confirmed the deal; a Ukrainian official and the Kremlin gave differing signals.
US First Lady Melania Trump said on Friday that she has secured a local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in Oleshky, a front-line town in southern Ukraine where residents are trapped and short of food.
In a statement from her office, she said the truce in the Russian-occupied town would begin on October 29. The plan is to bring in humanitarian aid and evacuate the elderly.
"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster," she said, adding that without her intervention, getting aid in and the elderly out would have been "impossible".
There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow or Kyiv. The accounts differ on how firm the arrangement is. A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters the ceasefire would be in place soon, while a Kremlin spokesman said the Russian military was working to coordinate the timing, according to Daily Post.
What the plan involves
Oleshky sits on the southern bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, across from Ukrainian-held Kherson city. Russian troops seized it in 2022. Its population has fallen from about 24,000 before the invasion to roughly 2,000 today, most of them elderly, with about 50 children also said to be unable to leave.
Melania Trump said she worked with Russian and Ukrainian leaders on the plan, and that civilian officials from both countries would visit the town to assess aid needs. Residents who want to leave will get transport to wherever they choose.
"I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine," she said.
She said teams from both sides would work out technical details, including clearing mines from roads in the heavily mined area, and that "all parties have worked around the clock since that moment". An unnamed "impartial American media organisation" would accompany the teams on the ground, she added.
The announcement comes a year after she revealed she had opened a back channel to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Her office says she has since secured the reunification of 34 children separated from their parents by the war, some of whom it says were abducted by Russia.
It also comes as President Donald Trump pushes harder for an end to the war, leaning towards Putin and away from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Kremlin said Putin had discussed Oleshky with Trump and told him Russia's human rights commissioner was working on aid. Putin also told Pope Leo he backed a Vatican plan to deliver supplies, while blaming Ukraine for the worsening situation. Russia and Ukraine have each accused the other of blocking supplies.
What happens next
All eyes will be on October 29, when the truce is meant to start and civilian teams from both sides are due to visit. Until Moscow and Kyiv confirm the terms, the deal remains an announcement from the US first lady's office rather than a signed agreement.
