The White House officially announced that US First Lady Melania Trump will deliver a statement regarding the ceasefire in Oleshky on Thursday, November 5, at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (6:00 PM Kyiv Time) near the president's residence. According to a well-informed RBC-Ukraine source, it is within the framework of this initiative that Melania Trump will personally host representatives of both warring countries in Washington. Previously, she initiated diplomatic engagement between Ukraine and Russia and reportedly achieved a local ceasefire in Oleshky and the adjacent territory of the Kherson region.
Delegation Composition: Who Will Come to the White House
According to the RBC-Ukraine source, the meeting with the US First Lady will be attended by David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction, and Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, on behalf of Ukraine. On the Russian side, as the same source claims, Russian Presidential Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev and Russian Ombudsperson Yana Lantratova will be present. Thus, both political and human rights figures from both sides are involved in the negotiations.
Humanitarian Crisis: Blockade and Famine Since Early 2026
Since the beginning of 2026, the situation in occupied Oleshky on the left bank of the Kherson region has become critical, according to participants in the negotiation process. The reasons are roads mined by the Russian military and drone attacks targeting food transport. Since spring, the city — which had a pre-invasion population of about 25,000 and about 6,000 civilians remaining by the time of the crisis — has faced actual famine. The last targeted food delivery reportedly took place on May 26.
Airdropped Aid and the Cost of Life for Residents
Ukraine's Defense Forces periodically dropped food and medicine to civilians using drones. However, according to the same reports, Russian forces mined the routes and hunted local residents. As a result, people died from explosions and malnutrition, and due to destroyed infrastructure and morgue operations, the bodies of the dead were reportedly left directly on the streets and in hospitals.
Negotiation Process and International Involvement
Negotiations to rescue civilians had been conducted since spring at the initiative of Ombudsperson Dmytro Lubinets and were accompanied by appeals to the ICRC, OSCE, Vatican, and the UN. In October, Pope Leo XIV joined the process, and a decisive diplomatic breakthrough was reportedly achieved through the mediation of US First Lady Melania Trump.
Silence Regime and Evacuation of Over 500 Civilians
On October 23, an agreement on a local ceasefire was announced, which came into effect on October 27 and lasted until November 1. This made it possible to unblock the humanitarian corridor: aid was delivered to residents, and more than 500 civilians were evacuated by buses. Those who chose to return to territory controlled by Ukraine were organized a route through Crimea, Russia, and Belarus followed by a meeting at the Ukrainian border.
