Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, starting October 27, to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.
The agreement, coordinated with the involvement of US First Lady Melania Trump, comes as Washington pushes to restart negotiations to end the war.
The White House said both sides would temporarily halt military action to enable aid deliveries and civilian evacuation through a designated safe passage.
Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov and Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the ceasefire would begin at 4 am local time. The operation is expected to include demining roads, delivering food and evacuating residents.
Oleshky, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis, with reports of severe food shortages.
The White House estimates that 1,700 to 2,000 people remain in the town, compared with around 24,000 before the war. Melania Trump said many remaining residents are elderly and urgently need medical care, medicines, food and clean water.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States plan to hold technical-level peace talks in Abu Dhabi during the first half of November. A US official said the meeting could also take place in Switzerland.
Previous negotiations stalled over territorial demands, particularly Russia’s insistence that Ukraine surrender the entire Donbas region.
Zelenskyy said any peace agreement must include strong security guarantees and long-term funding for Ukraine’s armed forces.
Separately, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 270 prisoners each on Friday, their first prisoner swap since August.
