The White House statement said Melania Trump and one of her representatives had worked “directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localised ceasefire”.
“Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require,” she is quoted as saying.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive co-ordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.”
Melania Trump added that Oleshky residents “have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks” and that “without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible”.
The statement did not say how long the ceasefire would be in place for.
Davyd Arakhamia, a Ukrainian MP who heads President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party in parliament, later said “an operation to unblock the settlement of Oleshky and its surroundings will begin in the near future”.
“To achieve this goal, a ceasefire will be achieved in the near future, as announced by the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump,” he said.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman confirmed that, “those who wish to do so will be able to leave this settlement”.
