Melania Trump brokers Oleshky ceasefire in Ukraine — SkimNews
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- Melania Trump brokered a local ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia that began at 3 a.m. Tuesday, enabling a humanitarian mission to the occupied town of Oleshky.
- Russian and Ukrainian militaries confirmed the ceasefire start, which is set to last through Saturday or longer, despite deep mutual mistrust undermining past truces.
- U.N. officials reported up to 2,000 civilians remain stranded in Oleshky with dwindling food and medicine, unable to flee due to mines and drone attacks.
- Doctors, medicines, food, and water are scheduled to enter Oleshky before evacuation corridors open, following negotiations involving civilian envoys from both sides.
- Oleshky, captured by Russian forces in 2022 and later flooded by a dam collapse in 2023, lies in the Kherson region across the Dnipro River from Ukrainian-held territory.
- Missile attacks resumed in Kyiv and Kharkiv shortly after the ceasefire began, killing three and injuring 14, underscoring the limited geographic scope of the truce.
Why it matters: The ceasefire creates a narrow humanitarian opening in a war marked by broken truces, but sustained attacks elsewhere reveal its fragility. With 2,000 civilians at risk in Oleshky and aid delivery dependent on temporary cooperation, the mission tests whether localized diplomacy can achieve what broader efforts have not.
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