Ukraine Warupdated 21m ago3 min read
White House Announces Melania Trump-Backed Humanitarian Ceasefire for Oleshky Starting October 29
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Ceasefire in Oleshky between Russia and Ukraine begins October 29, 2026. Initiated or brokered by First Lady Melania Trump, per White House statement.
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“Melania Trump has launched a campaign to brazenly claim sole credit for brokering a ceasefire in Ukraine”
“It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the case of this besieged city, where some 2,000 civilians need humanitarian routes through which they can leave.”
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Oleshky ceasefire announced
The White House announced a temporary humanitarian ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia for the beleaguered city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, with the halt scheduled to begin on Thursday, October 29, and to last for several days.
Melania Trump said, “The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” and she described Oleshky’s remaining population as primarily elderly residents needing medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
The agreement was designed to allow a humanitarian mission to bring “food, water, and medical supplies” to Oleshky and to facilitate the evacuation of Oleshky citizens to other parts of Ukraine or to Russia if they desire to leave.
The White House said military resources would begin removing mines from roads surrounding Oleshky on Tuesday, October 27, to allow safe movement in and out of the city.
Pope Leo XIV was also described as instrumental, with the Vatican reporting that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the city last week while the Holy Father was in the hospital.
Timing and humanitarian access
CNN Arabic reported that the Russian Defense Ministry said it would abide by the ceasefire in the area starting at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time on October 27, while Ukrainian officials said Ukraine would observe the same starting at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time on the same day.
CNN Arabic also said Ukrainian authorities indicated that about 1,700 civilians remained inside the city, with food and medicine supply routes cut off.
Melania Trump said in a statement that “The remaining population in Oleshky consists mainly of elderly people who are in dire need of medical care, medicines, food, and clean water.”
Dmitry Peskov praised Melania Trump’s “significant contribution,” and he said the military were coordinating a ceasefire in that region to facilitate a humanitarian mission.
The Kremlin side refused to provide specific details about evacuation routes or how long the ceasefire would last, saying the operation “will certainly take several days at a minimum.”
Credit dispute and next steps
The National Herald said the White House credited Melania Trump with securing a localised ceasefire but “forgets” to mention Pope Leo XIV’s earlier intervention, even though it described the Pope as urging Putin to allow aid into occupied Oleshky a week before the first lady’s claim. The National Herald cited the Pope’s call on 16 October to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and it said the Holy See Press Office reported that he called for a ceasefire to allow food and medical assistance to reach the city and enable civilians to leave voluntarily and safely. The National Herald also said the Pope discussed the crisis with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three days later, and it described a Vatican statement that expressed hope that cooperation between Russia and Ukraine would allow aid deliveries and safe civilian evacuations.
CBC reported that Zelenskyy said peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi. CBC also said Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute think-tank that any peace agreement would need strong security guarantees for Ukraine and funding for 10 years to maintain the Ukrainian army.
