Melania Trump Says She 'Successfully Secured a Ceasefire Between Russia and Ukraine' — But Only in One Small Town

First Lady Melania Trump has been credited with securing a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, but the agreement covers just one Ukrainian town as the fighting continues across the nation.

The White House announced Friday, October 23, that both countries agreed to stop all military action in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in southern Ukraine, beginning October 29.

The White House said the ceasefire was arranged to allow humanitarian aid to help prepare civilians for evacuation.

According to CNN, Trump and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership, with the first lady serving as an “exclusive intermediary” in negotiations.

In a statement, the first lady wrote, “My representative and I immediately leveraged the communication channel we established with Russia and Ukraine through the previous six reunifications of 34 children."

Located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, Oleshky has been on the frontline since 2022, when it was occupied by Russia.

“Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” the mother-of-one said in a statement released by her office.

She added that the elderly population in the area needs medical care, food and clean water. She also wrote that they have limited power supply and are living while being surrounded by mined roads and military attacks.

“It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible,” she declared.

The White House estimates that between 1,700 and 2,000 people, including 50 children, remain in a city that had about 24,000 residents before Russia's invasion.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the temporary ceasefire and credited the first lady for her “significant contribution,” CNN reported.

He added that military forces are arranging evacuation routes but did not provide details about how or when it will occur.

Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, who participated in the negotiations, said the ceasefire is expected in the “near future” and acknowledged Trump's involvement.

He said the operation was intended to establish permanent humanitarian corridors for civilian evacuations and deliver aid.

President Donald Trump heaped praise on his wife and explained her motive behind the mission.

“What she wants to do is save children,” he shared. “That’s her focus. Both sides are cooperating with her, so doing a very good job.” He also said she had been working behind the scenes for several months to secure the deal.

Melania's office revealed that the crisis was brought to her attention during a private conversation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

She has previously been involved in humanitarian efforts involving children and family reunification.

The president’s recent attempt at a ceasefire was not as successful. On October 11, he announced an energy ceasefire in the conflict, only for Russia to bomb Ukraine’s power plants hours later.