Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded US First Lady Melania Trump a state honour for her role in helping organise a humanitarian evacuation from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky last week, according to a presidential decree published on Wednesday.
The decree, dated November 2, cited her “significant personal contribution” to humanitarian support for Ukraine and her efforts to help Ukrainian children, including those deported or forcibly transferred from Russian-occupied territories. Melania Trump has been awarded the Order of Princess Olga, First Class. The distinction is given to women for exceptional contributions in areas including science, education, culture and charitable work, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian officials have credited the US first lady with playing a pivotal role in arranging a six-day ceasefire that allowed civilians to be evacuated from Oleshky in southern Ukraine. The local truce ended on Sunday and was the longest pause in fighting in a specific area since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Melania Trump said nearly 800 people had been evacuated during the operation.
The award follows the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, which allowed emergency supplies to reach residents and enabled civilians to leave the Russian-occupied town. The US first lady had described the ceasefire as a step towards lasting peace. In a post on X on Sunday, she said the truce across Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region had given residents access to food, clean water and medicine, while allowing them to move without the constant threat of attack. “Let Oleshky become the starting point for lasting peace,” she wrote.
The White House had announced on Tuesday that Melania Trump would host representatives from Russia and Ukraine on Thursday to discuss the ceasefire and the humanitarian operation. She was scheduled to deliver remarks on the initiative at 11 am EST. A Ukrainian official told The Kyiv Independent that Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russia's human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova were expected to attend.
Zelenskyy confirmed on Saturday that a humanitarian operation had taken place in Oleshky. He said a ceasefire had been established in the Kherson sector, roads leading to the town had been cleared of mines and humanitarian aid had been delivered. He also said people requiring evacuation had been moved out of the town and surrounding community. Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky had crossed into Ukrainian-controlled territory through the border in the Chernihiv region and would receive the necessary assistance.
Melania Trump's role in the operation was described by the White House as an independently pursued initiative, with the first lady engaging with both countries to secure the local ceasefire. However, a Le Monde report claimed the humanitarian operation had been negotiated over four months by Russia's GRU and Ukraine's HUR military intelligence agencies. Citing sources, the French newspaper reported that the two sides had agreed to credit Melania Trump with the ceasefire to appease US President Donald Trump as he sought progress in peace negotiations.
Oleshky has remained under Russian occupation since 2022. Residents had faced shortages of food, drinking water, electricity and medical supplies, while humanitarian organisations had been unable to deliver aid. The Kremlin has publicly ruled out further humanitarian operations of this kind in the foreseeable future.
