Melania Trump to host Ukrainian, Russian officials at White House for Oleshky ceasefire meeting
on Google
U.S. first lady Melania Trump will bring representatives of Ukraine and Russia to the White House on Nov. 5, where she will deliver remarks on the recent ceasefire in Oleshky, the White House announced on Nov. 3.
Melania Trump was praised for helping broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia that lasted from 3 a.m. on Oct. 27 until 11 p.m. local time on Nov. 1 and allowed those civilians who wished to evacuate Russian-occupied Oleshky in Ukraine's southern Kherson Oblast to do so.
The White House praised the initiative in its public statement, calling it "an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American first lady."
The humanitarian crisis in Oleshky, which has been under Russian occupation since 2022, worsened in mid-2026. Residents were deliberately deprived of food and water by Russian occupying forces and faced drone attacks when attempting to leave the town.
Under international humanitarian law, Russia is obligated to protect civilians living in territories under its occupation.
The first lady called the ceasefire a "success" and said "nearly 800 people" had been evacuated, but neither Ukraine nor Russia publicly confirmed exactly how many people left or where they relocated.
The Kremlin has publicly ruled out further such humanitarian operations in the foreseeable future.
The White House did not specify which representatives from Ukraine and Russia would join the first lady, and Kyiv and Moscow have not commented publicly.
A Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine's ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, and Russia's Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova would be in attendance.
However, Lantratova has been sanctioned by the U.S. government since 2022 and cannot legally enter the country. She would need a sanctions waiver from the U.S. State Department to do so.
