Europe · Saturday, 24 October 2026
Melania Trump brokers ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Ukraine
A ceasefire covering the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, on the Dnipro's eastern bank opposite Kherson, is set to begin on 29 October to allow humanitarian aid in and civilians out; before the war the city held some 24,000 people, now down to 1,700–2,000. US First Lady Melania Trump negotiated the terms directly with both sides as what the White House called an “exclusive intermediary,” saying “the situation in Oleshky is dire … a front-line war city on the brink of disaster.” City administrator Tetiana Hasanenko said the planned 25-kilometre evacuation route runs through mined territory, calling it “a road of death.”