US First Lady Melania Trump called for a more enduring ceasefire in Ukraine as she welcomed senior Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the White House following a truce in the southern region of Kherson.
Hundreds of residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky faced starvation and constant bombardment before evacuating during a six-day ceasefire. Both Moscow and Kyiv credited the US first lady with brokering the humanitarian pause. “The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war,” she said during the unusual gathering. “I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace.”
The delegations included Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia, and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. US President Donald Trump later confirmed to reporters that he had met with the Kremlin envoy, though he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation.
Melania Trump and the Oleshky Ceasefire
Both visiting delegations conveyed gratitude from their respective presidents and praised Melania Trump for playing a key role in the ceasefire. The US first lady reported reviewing demining plans, aerial images, roadways, and medical resources during the truce. “Last week in Oleshky and neighbouring areas of Kherson, people experienced the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022,” she stated.
Dmitriev thanked her for saving lives and gifted her a framed drawing by an 11-year-old Oleshky evacuee. Arakhamia described the truce as the biggest de-escalation since 2022, noting that both sides were learning the mechanics of keeping the peace. At the conclusion of the event, Trump handed Dmitriev and Arakhamia personal letters addressed to Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
The White House displayed two historic artifacts as symbols of peace: an 18th-century medicine chest removed during the 1812 burning of the White House by British forces, and a cup gifted in 1899 to the French ambassador to help end the Spanish-American war.
Broader Context and Ongoing Conflict
Despite the high-profile White House meeting, conflict continued across other parts of Ukraine. A Russian missile strike on an aid distribution centre in the Zaporizhzhia region resulted in numerous casualties, and other areas faced ongoing drone and missile attacks.
Local government sources in the Kherson region noted that evacuation groundwork had been underway for nearly a year before new individuals became involved. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remarked that the ceasefire demonstrated that fighting stops when Vladimir Putin wills it. Political analysts suggested that the arrangement reflected American pressure, while observers noted the continued complexity of formal peace negotiations to end the full-scale invasion that began in February 2022.
Source: Melania Trump calls for lasting Ukraine truce as she hosts Russian and Ukrainian officials (source-feed timestamp 2026-11-06T07:56:19+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.
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