White House says Melania Trump brokers truce for Ukraine city 'on brink of disaster'
Ukraine and Russia have not confirmed the truce in Russian-occupied Oleshky, where residents have had to eat garden weeds to survive.
Key points
- The White House says Melania Trump secured a ceasefire in Oleshky starting 29 October.
- Russia and Ukraine have not commented on the announced truce.
- About 6,000 people remain in Oleshky and surrounding areas, including 200 children.
The White House has said US First Lady Melania Trump "successfully secured" a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in the Kherson region. The statement said the truce would begin on 29 October, but Ukraine and Russia have so far not commented.
The White House described Oleshky as a "front-line war city on the brink of disaster" and said its remaining population is mainly elderly residents in urgent need of medical attention, medicine, food and clean water. The statement did not say how long the ceasefire would last.
Terms of the truce
According to the statement, Melania Trump and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to set the terms. Civilian leaders from both countries will visit residents at home to assess what assistance they need, and those who want to leave will get coordinated support and transport to their preferred destination.
Melania Trump said residents have limited electricity, live among mined roads and face regular military attacks. She said that without her intervention, bringing aid into the city and evacuating the elderly would be impossible.
Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination.
— Melania Trump
Conditions inside the city
Oleshky was seized by Russian forces in the first days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Residents recently told the BBC they had resorted to eating garden weeds to survive, and said children were suffering from malnutrition and a lack of medical services.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the local population was living under a "full blockade" by Russian forces. The Kremlin acknowledged in September that the city faced a critical situation with food and medicine supplies, while saying its military was working to resolve the problems and blaming Kyiv.
Oleshky had 24,000 residents before the invasion. Ukraine estimates about 6,000 people remain in the city and surrounding areas, including 200 children.
