Ukraine Warupdated 25m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 2 March 2026Melania Trump Calls for More enduring Ukraine Ceasefire After Kherson Truce
“The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war.”
“It’s going to be a big agreement, and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine”
Photo: The White House / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Melania Trump urged a lasting Ukraine ceasefire at White House with Russian and Ukrainian delegations. The event followed last week's truce in Kherson region.
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Oleshky ceasefire push
Melania Trump called for a "more enduring" ceasefire in Ukraine as she welcomed Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the White House following last week's truce in the southern region of Kherson. The BBC said hundreds of residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky facing starvation and constant bombardment were able to evacuate during a six-day ceasefire that both Moscow and Kyiv credited Trump with brokering. Dmytro Lubinets and Yana Lantratova met alongside Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, and Trump later revealed that the Kremlin envoy also met Donald Trump.
Melania Trump said she had "reviewed demining plans, aerial images, assessed roadways, and discussed evacuation routes, hospital access, vehicles, and medical resources" during the truce. Arakhamia said the Oleshky ceasefire constituted the "biggest de-escalation since 2022," while Dmitriev thanked the US first lady for "saving and touching so many lives".
Europe rejects a grand bargain
European leaders rejected Washington's proposal for a broader security framework after Donald Trump suggested a comprehensive agreement with Russia that would go beyond Ukraine to include Europe as a whole. Euronews quoted Trump describing the potential agreement as 'a very big deal' that would involve not only Ukraine but 'Europe as a whole' and said he described it as 'a very big and beautiful deal, and everyone would be delighted,' without giving details. German Foreign Minister يوهان فاديفول called for Europe to have a central role in the negotiations on Ukraine's future, saying the German government adheres to a "non-changing" principle that decisions about Ukraine's future must not be made without Ukraine's participation.
Kaya Kalas told reporters in Warsaw, "We already have an European security architecture in place," and she said Russia continues to breach the treaties underpinning that system. Polish Foreign Minister Radusaw Sikorski warned, 'Any arrangement on the future of Ukraine and Europe taken over our heads will not be merely unwise, but is in fact impossible,' as the talks prepare to resume in Abu Dhabi next week.
Abu Dhabi talks and stakes
The White House outlined a proposed European security framework alongside security guarantees for Ukraine as the Trump administration prepared for trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi next week. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said Jared Kushner detailed the initiative in a November 5 social media post, and it described the framework as including permanent security consultations, crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal measures to reduce escalation risks, and a long-term arrangement for European security and stability. Kushner said the initiative would respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country, with no state having a veto over another's security choices or alliances, and NATO would remain central to European collective defense.
Kremlin foreign-policy adviser Yury Ushakov had called for a return to NATO's pre-1997 posture, and Glen Howard asked, "Since when does Russia get a say about the future of NATO and undoing the eastern flank?" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, "We are preparing to hold a trilateral meeting at the level of delegations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, with less than a week remaining until it takes place," while the Kremlin said Moscow does not have details about the peace agreement Trump spoke of.
