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'Ceasefire has commenced': Melania Trump-brokered localised Ukraine-Russia truce takes effect
Melania Trump said a localised ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine began at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time on October 27, 2026, two days ahead of schedule.
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US first lady Melania Trump on Tuesday announced the commencement of a localised ceasefire brokered by her between Russia and Ukraine. The ceasefire took effect beyond Oleshky two days ahead of schedule, she said.
In a post on X, Melania said, “THE CEASEFIRE HAS COMMENCED. The ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia took effect at 4:00 am Moscow time on October 27, 2026."
Russia-Ukraine ceasefire expanded beyond Oleshky and within Kherson
The First Lady said the timing was accelerated two days ahead of schedule to “protect the safety of civilians and to facilitate the delivery of critical humanitarian aid.”
"The ceasefire’s geographic area has expanded beyond Oleshky, within the Kherson Region, to provide safe passage for the humanitarian convoys. General Valery Vasilyevich, Joint Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces has confirmed,” she said.
Melania Trump played key role in ceasefire deal
A ceasefire in Oleshky was declared on October 23rd, with Melania Trump serving as the broker of this agreement.
According to the White House, the first lady played a key role in achieving the agreement by engaging in discussions regarding the humanitarian crisis affecting Oleshky.
Melania Trump, alongside her representative, engaged in direct negotiations with both Russian and Ukrainian leadership to establish the ceasefire's conditions, as confirmed by government officials.
Severe humanitarian crisis in Oleshky
The humanitarian crisis in Oleshky has reached critical levels, with certain inhabitants having turned to preparing wild vegetation harvested from their residential gardens as a means of sustenance, as per BBC. The commercial retail sector has ceased operations entirely, and the delivery of food supplies and essential commodities to the municipality has become prohibitively challenging.
According to assessments conducted by Kyiv authorities, approximately 6,000 people, comprising 200 minors, continue to reside in Oleshky and the surrounding region. Current estimates suggest that roughly 1,700 of these residents remain within the city proper.
Before the commencement of Russia's comprehensive military offensive in February 2022, Oleshky maintained a population of approximately 24,000 inhabitants.
Russia says ‘no violence’ observed
Earlier today, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that the ceasefire commenced at 4am Moscow time.
According to Peskov, no violations have been documented thus far.
Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets stated previously that Ukraine was "honouring its commitments" under the temporary ceasefire arrangement facilitated by Melania Trump.
