First Lady Melania Trump to Host Russian and Ukrainian Delegations at the White House
Melania Trump will meet Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House after receiving Ukraine's Order of Princess Olha for humanitarian work.
The White House announced that First Lady Melania Trump will host delegations from Russia and Ukraine on Thursday. The meeting follows a presidential decree from Volodymyr Zelensky awarding her the Order of Princess Olha, 1st Class, for her "significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine."
The delegations include Ukraine’s human-rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, as well as Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia and Russian businessman Kirill Dmitriev, who have taken part in previous cease-fire negotiations. Lubinets and Lantratova travelled together to the contested city of Oleshky last week after a cease-fire allowed the evacuation of several hundred residents.
The White House statement said Melania Trump "independently initiated engagement between the two warring nations and successfully secured a ceasefire." Both sides thanked her for the effort, though details of her role were not disclosed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the composition of the Russian delegation.
Lubinets posted on social media that important meetings lie ahead as he headed to the United States. The White House schedule lists a remarks segment by Melania Trump at 11:00 a.m. (16:00 GMT) on the Oleshky cease-fire.
Zelensky’s decree also highlighted Melania Trump’s broader humanitarian activities, including assistance to Ukrainian children displaced by the conflict. Earlier this year, she said an "open channel of communication" had been established with Russian President Vladimir Putin to help reunite displaced children with their families.