Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that first lady Melania Trump’s “efforts to secure a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid demonstrate the power of diplomacy and leadership,” hours after the White House announced a localized Russia-Ukraine truce in the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky.
“Congratulations to First Lady Melania Trump on this important achievement!” Rubio wrote in a post on X on Friday evening. “This is a meaningful step toward peace bringing hope to civilians, and creating an opportunity for progress. Under President Trump’s leadership, we remain committed to advancing peace, stability, and security.” He quoted a post from the first lady’s office sharing the announcement.
The White House statement, issued Friday morning, said Melania Trump “successfully secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, localized to the city of Oleshky,” and that both countries 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.” It said she acted “in her formal role as Exclusive Intermediary” and that the ceasefire “will begin on October 29, 2026.”
“Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said in the statement, adding that residents “live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks.” The statement said about 24,000 people lived in the city on the left bank of the Dnipro River across from Kherson before the war, and an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 remain, mostly older people.
Ukrainian and Russian officials gave a different start date. Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement on X on Friday afternoon that Ukrainian forces would observe a ceasefire “in a designated area” of Oleshky beginning on Oct. 27, and wrote in an earlier post: “We expect humanitarian access for the people of Oleshky to be guaranteed.” Russian officials have also said the pause begins Oct. 27, and Melania Trump told reporters on Saturday that the ceasefire was expected to start on Oct. 27, the Associated Press reported. “I hope everything goes as it’s planned,” she said. The White House statement still listed Oct. 29 as of Sunday.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, wrote in a post on X on Friday: “I confirm this statement and would like to personally thank Melania Trump and her team for their efforts, leadership, and coordination between the Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams.” He added: “The operation is extremely complex and will be carried out in stages.” In a follow-up post on Saturday, he listed demining the road to Oleshky, delivering humanitarian aid and the “safe and unimpeded movement of civilians” among the steps.
The Kremlin described the first lady’s role differently from the White House. A statement on the Kremlin website on Friday, citing presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said Russia “welcomes the efforts” of Melania Trump, “who has made a substantial contribution to coordinating the humanitarian operation” in the town, which Russia calls Alyoshki. It said that “following agreements reached between the Presidents of Russia and the United States,” Russia’s human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, and her Ukrainian counterpart “have undertaken extensive work, with the direct involvement of Mrs Trump,” adding: “Mrs Trump is acting in a coordinating capacity.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Saturday that “the Russians have mined the roads, making the situation dire, extremely dire” in the occupied part of the Kherson region. “We hope this humanitarian operation can be carried out,” he said. “Ukraine will do its part. We count on American mediation to work.”
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the effort was “her initiative,” according to a Factba.se transcript of the gaggle. “And they contacted both sides and both sides wanted to do it,” he said. “She’s done a great job.”
The arrangement covers a single city. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues elsewhere along the front, and broader peace talks have not produced a general ceasefire.
Rubio’s description of the truce as “a meaningful step toward peace” is his assessment, and his reference to Melania Trump’s “efforts to secure a ceasefire” follows the White House account. Both Kyiv and Moscow have confirmed the localized ceasefire and credited the first lady’s role, though the Kremlin said she is “acting in a coordinating capacity” and tied the work to agreements between the two presidents, and the two sides give a start date two days earlier than the White House statement. The ceasefire had not yet taken effect as of Sunday, and Ukrainian officials said the operation would proceed in stages.