Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky to facilitate humanitarian assistance and enable the safe evacuation of civilians, the White House has announced.
The town has been under Russian occupation since February 2022, and residents have reportedly been facing a worsening food shortage.
According to a White House statement, both sides agreed to suspend military operations temporarily to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe corridor.
The development comes as US President Donald Trump continues to press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach an agreement to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
First Lady Melania Trump has also been involved in efforts to secure the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the conflict.
Describing the situation in Oleshky as critical, Melania said the town was on the verge of a humanitarian disaster. She noted that most of the remaining residents were elderly people in urgent need of medical care, medicines, food and clean drinking water.
Under the ceasefire arrangement, non-military teams from Russia and Ukraine will be permitted to visit residents at their homes and coordinate transportation for civilians who wish to leave. Evacuees will be able to choose whether to travel to Russia or Ukraine. An unnamed American media organisation is also expected to accompany the teams to document the process.
Located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, Oleshky now has an estimated population of between 1,700 and 2,000 people, including approximately 50 children. Before the war, the town had a population of around 24,000, according to the White House.
The statement also said that approximately 90 per cent of the town had been flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, further worsening the humanitarian situation.
Melania Trump and her representative reportedly worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to establish the terms of the localised ceasefire.
She said civilians seeking evacuation would receive coordinated assistance and transportation to their preferred destinations, acknowledging that some residents might choose Russia while others would opt for Ukraine.
