Melania Trump urges durable Ukraine ceasefire after hosting Russian and Ukrainian officials
The U.S. first lady said a six-day truce in Oleshky allowed residents to evacuate and called for a longer-lasting peace, while Russian and Ukrainian delegations expressed gratitude for her role.
U.S. first lady Melania Trump called for a "more enduring" ceasefire in Ukraine after hosting senior Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House. The meeting followed a six-day truce in the southern Kherson region that allowed hundreds of residents of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky to evacuate amid starvation and bombardment.
"The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace," Trump said.
The delegations included Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. All participants conveyed gratitude to the first lady on behalf of their presidents.
Trump said she had reviewed de-mining plans, aerial images, road conditions and evacuation routes during the ceasefire, noting that residents experienced "the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022" by walking the streets without fear of explosions.
"Let us continue making a humanitarian contribution together; this is within our power," Dmitriev said, thanking Trump and presenting her with a drawing by an 11-year-old evacuee.
Arakhamia described the Oleshky ceasefire as the "biggest de-escalation since 2022" and urged Trump to keep pursuing further de-escalation efforts.
At the conclusion of the event, Trump handed letters to Dmitriev and Arakhamia for delivery to President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky. She also showed the guests two historic artifacts she selected as symbols of peace: an 18th-century medicine chest removed after the 1812 British burning of the White House, and a cup gifted in 1899 to the French ambassador for ending the Spanish-American War.
A local Kherson official noted that evacuation work had been underway for almost a year and that additional individuals became involved later, making it difficult to pinpoint each participant’s exact contribution. President Zelensky later said the ceasefire demonstrated that fighting stops when Putin wants it to, a view echoed by a source close to American officials who suggested the pause served broader political interests.