First Lady Melania Trump pauses fighting in Oleshky to deliver aid
A local ceasefire took effect at 3 a.m. Tuesday, allowing a humanitarian convoy to reach 2,000 people stranded in the Russian-occupied town.
By Rahul Sato ·
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump brokered a localized ceasefire in southern Ukraine that went into effect at 3 a.m. on Tuesday. The pause in fighting is designed to create a safe window for a humanitarian aid mission to enter the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. Officials from both Moscow and Kyiv confirmed the start of the truce in separate statements.
According to the First Lady's office, she led negotiations with civilian representatives from both countries. These discussions followed a briefing from United Nations officials regarding the conditions inside the town. The goal is to deliver essential supplies before a new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks scheduled for next month.
Up to 2,000 residents remain stranded in Oleshky with limited food and medicine. The United Nations reports that explosive mines and drone attacks have prevented them from leaving the area. Negotiators for the aid mission said the convoy will carry doctors, medicines, food, and water. Evacuation corridors are expected to open after these supplies are distributed.
The local ceasefire is set to last through Saturday, though officials note it could be extended. Deep mistrust between the two sides has complicated previous attempts at temporary pauses in the fighting. Oleshky is located in the Kherson region, roughly 340 miles southeast of the capital. It sits directly across the Dnipro River from the city of Kherson.
While the truce held in the south, missile strikes continued in other parts of the country. Minutes after the 3 a.m. deadline, ballistic missiles struck Kyiv, triggering air alerts across multiple regions. Earlier late Monday, a Russian ballistic missile damaged the grounds of a university in the capital, killing one person and injuring ten, according to city officials.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, authorities reported that attacks late Monday killed two people and injured four. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the strikes in an online post. He stated that the world must see Russia's continued desire to wage war and kill civilians.
The town of Oleshky was captured by Russian forces on the first day of the full-scale invasion in 2022. In June 2023, floodwaters from a collapsed dam inundated the town, adding to the local infrastructure damage. The current mission aims to stabilize the situation before broader negotiations resume next month.
Source: KNKX Public Radio
