White House says ‘localised’ ceasefire to take effect, as Russia and Ukraine say timing being determined.
The White House has said United States First Lady Melania Trump has “secured a ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which has been occupied by Russia since February 2022.
Following the announcement on Friday, a senior Ukrainian official told the Reuters news agency that a ceasefire in Oleshky would be established soon. A Kremlin spokesman said the military was working on coordinating the timing.
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It comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has renewed diplomacy aimed at ending the war. The approach has included upping pressure on Ukraine and handing several recent concessions to Russia.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said in a statement released by the White House.
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible,” she said.
The first lady added that her representatives worked directly with “Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localised ceasefire” and that civilian leaders from both countries will work together to grant humanitarian access to civilians in the city.
Oleshky, which had a population of 24,000 people before the warsits along the southeastern front of the conflict. It was captured by Russia during the first day of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 and experienced heavy shelling.
While most residents have fled, those who remain have faced dire food and medical shortages. Both sides have accused the other of staunching the flow of supplies.
In her statement, Melania Trump said the truce will allow the estimated 2,000 remaining residents who wish to be evacuated to be transported to their “preferred destination” in Russia or Ukraine.
The first lady added that “an impartial American media organisation” will accompany Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground. She did not identify the organisation.
“This will play a significant role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected,” she said.
Melania Trump had previously worked to reunify children seized by Russia during the war.
Ukraine confirms talks
The announcement comes after the Kremlin said it had agreed to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine next month, although both sides remain far apart on terms of a possible deal.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the country’s negotiators would take part in the talks in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.
Zelenskyy said he spoke with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, adding that any peace agreement would need strong security guarantees and funding for 10 years to maintain its army.
The Trump administration said its recent concessions to Moscow, which include purchasing diesel from Russia and waiving some sanctions, are aimed at reducing high fuel costs spurred by the US-Israel war on Iran.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has complained of disruptions to its Starshield military satellite system, which it relies on for much of its air defence.
Starshield is a military-grade version of the Starlink system operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Ukrainian officials on Friday said they were still experiencing speed restrictions on Starlink communications system, despite Trump saying a day earlier that services had been fully restored.
Trump said he would speak to Musk if the problem persisted.
“If there is a problem, I’ll get it straightened out,” Trump said.
Source: www.aljazeera.com
