Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 26 May 2006Melania Trump Hosts Ukraine and Russia Officials at White House Over Oleshky Ceasefire
4 Western Mainstream2 Local Western1 Asian3 Other source typesPhoto: Matt H. Wade, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cropped for layout
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Melania hosts Ukrainian and Russian officials at the White House to discuss Oleshky ceasefire evacuations. Zelensky awards Melania the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, for Oleshky humanitarian efforts.
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Oleshky truce and evacuation
Melania Trump is preparing to host representatives from Ukraine and Russia at the White House on Thursday, with the talk focused on a humanitarian mission that led to the evacuation of hundreds of residents from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
The White House described the six-day ceasefire as an "unprecedented diplomatic initiative," and the ceasefire lasted from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1.
The CBC said the meeting will also give Melania and her supporters an opportunity to highlight what they see as her role in securing the ceasefire, which the White House called the longest localized pause in hostilities since the war began in 2022.
The evacuation followed a humanitarian operation in Oleshky that began on Oct. 27, with the main phase beginning on Oct. 30 after demining operations and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The New Voice of Ukraine said the first lady’s office described the achievement as "an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American First Lady," while the White House said the first lady independently initiated engagement between the two warring countries and secured a ceasefire in Oleshky and surrounding areas of Kherson Oblast.
Who will attend, and why
The meeting is expected to include Russia’s human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, while Ukrainian media reported that Dmytro Lubinets and senior lawmaker David Arakhamia will also be in attendance.
Euronews said Russia’s adviser for international economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev and human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova plan to meet Melania Trump on Thursday "provided that all logistical arrangements work out," citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova are expected to attend a White House event on Nov. 5, but it said the U.S. government sanctioned Lantratova in 2022 and she is ineligible to enter without a special waiver from the U.S. State Department.
Melania Trump’s office said the first lady would personally bring together representatives of Russia and Ukraine, two countries actively at war, at the White House, and it described the achievement as an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American First Lady.
The Guardian said Zelenskyy awarded Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, and the decree acknowledged her "significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine" and for active human rights and charitable work.
Stakes for negotiations and messaging
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes the outcome of U.S. politics will lead to greater help for Ukraine, telling ZDF that if the U.S. Congress "begins to talk about strong financial or military support" that will "influence Putin."
Zelenskyy also said, "Logically, this will lead us to possible negotiations and a possible peace," as he linked continued support to whether it makes sense for Putin to keep fighting.
The Guardian said Ukraine this week accused Russia of taking advantage of the truce to strengthen its military position, while the Kremlin said adjusting positions during a ceasefire was "standard practice."
The New Voice of Ukraine said the truce allowed civilians wishing to leave Russian-occupied Oleshky to evacuate, and it said the first lady called the ceasefire a success and said "nearly 800 people" had been evacuated.
The New Voice of Ukraine said the humanitarian mission’s main phase began on Oct. 30 and that a total of 25 buses with 750 seats were prepared, while it also said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the completion of the humanitarian evacuation operation on Oct. 31.