Melania Trump secures ceasefire in Ukrainian city Oleshky
· RTE.ieUS first lady Melania Trump has secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-controlled city of Oleshky, which will begin on 29 October, the White House said.
Residents of the southern Ukrainian town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a deepening food crisis.
"Both nations agreed to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway," a White House statement said.
The development comes as Melania Trump's husband, President Donald Trump, pressures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Ms Trump has been active in trying to get Ukrainian children seized by Russia during the war returned to their families.
"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky's remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water," she said in the statement.
The ceasefire will allow non-military teams from both countries to visit residents in their homes and coordinate transportation for those wishing to evacuate to either Russia or Ukraine, with an unnamed American media organisation accompanying the teams to document the process, the first lady said.
Newsmax, a right-leaning news outlet, said in a report that its cameras would be granted "exclusive access to document the effort".
Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has a remaining population of 1,700 to 2,000 people — primarily elderly residents, along with about 50 children — down from roughly 24,000 before the war, the White House said.
About 90% of the city was flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.
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The statement said Ms Trump and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localised ceasefire.
"Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine," MsTrump said.
Prisoner swap
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 270 people each in the latest prisoner-of-war swap, following talks with US negotiators earlier this week.
Nine civilians were among those Kyiv was bringing back, President Zelensky said on X.
Most of the servicemen have been held since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he added.
"We remember one and all and continue searching for everyone," Mr Zelensky said.
Among those returned were five Ukrainian prisoners whom officials had previously believed were killed in an explosion at a detention facility in Olenivka, in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine accused Russia of committing a war crime with a strike on Olenivka that killed dozens of prisoners. Russia said Ukraine had fired at the camp.
Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that its freed servicemen were in Belarus and would be transported to Russia once they had received psychological and medical assistance.
Thousands of prisoners have been exchanged since the start of the full-scale war, one of the few areas where Moscow and Kyiv have maintained on-off contacts despite the conflict.
The last large-scale swap took place on 19 August, when 103 Ukrainians were returned from Russian captivity, and another 10 people were brought back later that month.