Washington / Moscow / Kyiv, 23 October. Russia and Ukraine have confirmed a temporary ceasefire in the town of Oleshky in Kherson region, announced by US First Lady Melania Trump, to deliver humanitarian aid and evacuate civilians.
Russia's Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the Russian army would observe a ceasefire from 04:00 Moscow time on 27 October, and Ukraine's General Staff said Ukraine would cease fire at 03:00 Kyiv time the same day.
The White House, which was first to announce the agreement, gave 29 October as the start of the ceasefire. Neither side explained the two-day discrepancy. According to the White House, Melania Trump and her representative negotiated directly with the Russian and Ukrainian leaderships, and an independent US media organisation will monitor and document the parties' actions in the town. Under the proposed arrangement, civilian representatives of Russia and Ukraine will visit residents at home to assess what help they need, and those who wish to leave will be taken wherever they choose, to territory controlled by either Russia or Ukraine.
Oleshky is a Russian-controlled town on the left bank of the Dnipro; according to Anadolu, most of those still there are elderly people short of food, water and medicine. Gerasimov said the army would conduct engineering reconnaissance and ensure the safe passage of a humanitarian convoy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had discussed the matter in a recent phone call and that the evacuation could take several days. "We are, of course, grateful to the American side, to the first lady, Mrs Trump, and to Mr Trump himself, President Trump, for their significant involvement in addressing humanitarian issues," he said.
Ukraine's parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets, who took part in the talks together with Russian ombudsman Yana Lantratova, called the operation extremely complex and said it would be carried out in stages. Ukraine's General Staff said Ukrainian units had previously delivered humanitarian supplies to Oleshky residents by drone. The Russian side, for its part, said through Rodion Miroshnik that two wounded people had died in Oleshky hospital because they were not allowed to be evacuated; the Ukrainian side did not comment on this claim. UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the agreement.
What it means: The sides have agreed on a local pause for the civilians of one town, mediated by the US first lady. Washington and the militaries differ on the start date, but both armies named the morning of 27 October.
Who benefits: Oleshky residents get the chance to receive aid or leave. Washington gets a humanitarian result ahead of the trilateral round the Kremlin has scheduled for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi. Moscow and Kyiv get a chance to show readiness to reach agreements; the pause changes nothing in the substance of the conflict.
Background: Peskov said earlier that trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States were scheduled for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi and would focus on post-war security.
List of sources used: TASS, Anadolu
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
