Oleshky Ceasefire: White House Sets Oct. 29 Start Date for Humanitarian Truce

The White House announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky. The agreement is scheduled to take effect on Oct. 29, allowing humanitarian aid to reach a population that officials describe as facing a severe crisis.

A statement from the White House credited First Lady Melania Trump with securing the arrangement. It noted that Trump and her representative worked directly with leadership in both countries to establish the terms of the localized truce. The goal is to stop all military action in the city so that aid can enter and civilian evacuation can be prepared along a designated safe passage.

“The situation in Oleshky is dire,” Trump said in the statement. She described the front-line city as being on the brink of disaster, noting that the remaining population consists mostly of elderly residents who require immediate medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.

Under the terms of the deal, non-military teams from both nations will visit residents in their homes. These teams will help arrange transport for individuals who wish to leave for either Russia or Ukraine. The White House stated that Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, currently houses between 1,700 and 2,000 residents. This group includes approximately 50 children, a sharp decline from the pre-war population of roughly 24,000. Officials also reported that about 90 percent of the city remains flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.

Ukraine’s top negotiator, David Arakhamia, confirmed the details on Telegram. He said the humanitarian operation would commence once the ceasefire is fully in effect. Arakhamia attributed the accord to a long process involving both Trump and Pope Leo, stating the deal creates a corridor for people to exit and assistance to enter.

The Kremlin indicated that the evacuation process would require at least several days. Russian officials praised Trump and said work was already underway to improve conditions in Oleshky. This effort follows a reported telephone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Leo last week, in which Putin expressed readiness to cooperate on the issue. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced that Russian forces will cease firing from 4 a.m. local time on Oct. 27 to support the operation.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States agreed to hold technical-level talks in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute that he spoke with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after their meeting with Putin earlier in the week. He stated that any final peace deal would require strong security guarantees and 10 years of funding for Ukraine’s army.

The announcements come after two weeks of criticism from European allies and members of both major U.S. political parties regarding American involvement in the conflict. President Donald Trump had previously struck a deal with Putin to import diesel and announced a ceasefire on energy attacks, though Russia continued its attacks. On Oct. 14, Zelenskyy noted that SpaceX had restricted Starlink service, a move Ukrainian officials say hampers their strikes and drone defense.

Fighting continued on Friday despite the diplomatic news. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport briefly suspended operations due to a Ukrainian drone threat. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that air defenses downed 21 drones headed for the capital over a two-hour period. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each. Ukraine’s acting prosecutor general, Anton Kovalskyi, stated that more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since the full-scale invasion began.