Melania Trump hosts Russian, Ukrainian officials after Oleshky ceasefire

First lady Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House to recognize a six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky. Humanitarian aid reached the city during the pause, and hundreds of residents were evacuated, NPR reported.

The ceasefire had expired by Sunday, but the gathering brought representatives of the two countries together ahead of another round of U.S.-led peace talks in Abu Dhabi. The Guardian reported that about 800 people had lived in Oleshky through a prolonged humanitarian crisis.

“We have chosen humanity over war,” the first lady said. “Undeniably, the lives of innocent people must transcend the divisions of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace.” She urged the officials to build on the temporary halt: “Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire.”

Among those present were Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, and Davyd Arakhamia, a chief Ukrainian negotiator, according to The Guardian. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, also attended. The first lady later handed personal letters to Dmitriev and Arakhamia to bring back to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, The Guardian reported.

Dmitriev said Putin had personally instructed Russian officials to ensure the ceasefire succeeded. “On behalf of President Putin, on behalf of the people of the Russian Federation, we would like to thank first lady Melania Trump for her distinguished humanitarian role in resolving a key situation and resolving this humanitarian issue,” he said.

Lubinets presented the first lady with the Order of Princess Olha, 1st Class, an award for her humanitarian work. “I have only one request from all Ukrainian nation,” he said. “Please continue doing your wonderful work and support people.” The Guardian reported that the Russian side gave her a child’s drawing inscribed, “I love Melania.”

The first lady said she had worked on the Oleshky operation at “every stage.” She said she had reviewed de-mining plans and aerial images, assessed roadways, and discussed evacuation routes, hospital access, vehicles and medical resources, according to The Guardian. The newspaper also reported that she had helped reunite more than 30 children displaced from their families during the war.

President Donald Trump did not attend the ceremony. He later said he had met Dmitriev at the White House and told reporters the sides were close to a deal. “It’s going to be an agreement. It’s going to be a big agreement, and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” he said. “I could even say it might involve all of Europe.”

The limited ceasefire did not halt fighting elsewhere. The Guardian reported that Russian missiles and drones continued to strike major Ukrainian cities and that a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia killed 40 people the day before the White House gathering.

Heather Conley, a former State Department official now at the American Enterprise Institute, told NPR that aid for Ukrainians was welcome but warned against treating Russia and Ukraine as equally responsible for the crisis. “The more we create this equivalency where the Russians and the Ukrainians are equal in this crisis, it is putting this thing upside down,” she said.