Ukraine-Russia war: Melania Trump announces local ceasefire, Kremlin and Kyiv confirm

According to the White House, First Lady Melania Trump brokered a local ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv in the front-line town of Oleshky in the Russian occupied territory in southern Ukraine, which has been sealed off for months. Both parties to the conflict have agreed to temporarily stop all hostilities from October 29, the White House said. This should enable humanitarian aid and the evacuation of the civilian population via a safe corridor.

"The people in Oleschky have limited electricity, live in the middle of mined streets and have to endure regular military attacks," said the wife of US President Donald Trump, according to a press release from the White House. She worked with representatives of both warring parties to determine the terms of the local ceasefire.

The small town of Oleschky, which has been sealed off for months, is located in Russian occupied territory in the south of Ukraine on the banks of the Dnipro. The city is cut off from supplies. According to Ukrainian information, Russia is holding around 2,000 people there. Aid organizations have been complaining about the humanitarian situation for a long time. The regional capital Kherson, in Ukrainian hands, is only nine kilometers away. The front runs in between.

Some time after the announcement, both sides confirmed the ceasefire. “According to our agreement, firstly, a ceasefire will be observed; secondly, humanitarian aid will be delivered to Oleschky; and thirdly, the civilian population will be allowed free movement out of Oleshky,” said Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian human rights commissioner, in a video message posted online.

The Russian Chief of General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, said that from Tuesday, 4 a.m. Moscow time, the Russian armed forces would "cease fire on the Kherson axis in connection with the humanitarian operation near Oleshky." The Russian armed forces would also carry out "technical reconnaissance" and ensure the "safe passage of the humanitarian convoy" into the city, said Gerasimov.