Melania Trump called for a more lasting ceasefire in Ukraine after meeting Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House on November 5, following a six-day pause in fighting that allowed hundreds of people to leave the occupied town of Oleshky.
The truce applied to Oleshky and nearby areas in the Kherson region, not to the wider war. It was intended to support humanitarian aid and evacuations, according to the White House.
At the meeting, Trump said she had reviewed demining plans and aerial images and discussed evacuation routes, road access, hospitals, vehicles and medical supplies. “The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace,” she said.
The delegations included Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, and lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, alongside Russian ombudsman Yana Lantratova and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Trump gave Arakhamia and Dmitriev letters for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Credit for the ceasefire remains disputed
Both sides thanked Trump for her role, but the extent of her involvement has not been clearly established. A source working in Kherson’s local government told the BBC that preparations for the evacuation had been underway for nearly a year, and said other people became involved after much of the groundwork was complete.
Arakhamia described the pause as the biggest de-escalation since 2022 and said the process could help the sides learn how to maintain a future peace. He also acknowledged that negotiations on ending the war remained complex. No broader ceasefire was announced.
Zelensky said the Oleshky agreement showed that fighting could stop when Putin wanted it to. Meanwhile, other parts of Ukraine continued to face Russian attacks, the BBC reported.