INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump said Tuesday that a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect two days ahead of schedule, with the humanitarian corridor expanded beyond the occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region to allow aid convoys to reach civilians.
The ceasefire took effect at 4 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday. The ceasefire took effect at 4 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday, following an agreement the White House announced last Friday. The original plan called for the truce to begin on October 29.
In a statement posted on X. the First Lady said “The timing was accelerated two days ahead of schedule to protect the safety of civilians and to facilitate the delivery of critical humanitarian aid,” adding that the geographic area covered by the ceasefire had also been expanded beyond Oleshky to provide safe passage for humanitarian convoys.
The precise boundaries of the expanded area were not immediately disclosed.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, confirmed that Russian forces would cease fire in the Kherson area from 4 a.m. Moscow time to facilitate the humanitarian operation. He stated that Russian forces would also conduct engineering reconnaissance to support the safe movement of humanitarian convoys, according to reports of his statement.
The early start marks a further step in the diplomatic effort led by Mrs Trump to secure humanitarian access to Oleshky, where residents have faced months of shortages of food, medicine, clean water, and other essentials amid continued fighting and the dangers posed by mined roads.
As Africa Bazaar previously reported, the First Lady announced the localized ceasefire on October 23 after working directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to establish the terms of the localized ceasefire. The arrangement calls for civilian representatives from both countries to assess residents’ needs, coordinate the delivery of assistance, and help evacuate those who wish to leave.
Residents will be able to choose their destination, whether in Russia or Ukraine, she said. An American media organization is also expected to accompany the teams and document the humanitarian operation.
The agreement grew out of Melania Trump’s earlier work to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia with their families. She said she and her representative used a communication channel established during six previous reunification efforts involving 34 children to engage both governments on the situation in Oleshky.
The first lady said the humanitarian crisis came to her attention during a private discussion at her Fostering the Future Together event in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Born in Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia, she has pursued the effort through direct communication and diplomatic channels with Russian and Ukrainian officials.
Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from the regional capital of Kherson, has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Before the war, the city had about 24,000 residents. The White House estimates that between 1,700 and 2,000 people remain, most of them elderly residents, along with about 50 children.
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023 caused extensive flooding across the area, compounding the damage and displacement. Residents who remain face severe shortages and limited access to medical care, while mines and military activity have made movement in and out of the city dangerous.
The ceasefire is limited to the humanitarian operation and does not constitute a broader halt to the war. Regardless, world leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, have called it a breakthrough in the five-year war., In a statement through his spokesperson Stephanie Dujaric last Friday, Guterres welcomed the breakthrough and “expressed his gratitude to all who contributed to achieving this goal.”
Ukrainian officials have said the operation will require careful coordination, including clearing mines along access routes before humanitarian supplies can be delivered and evacuations can begin.
