Melania Trump Helps Broker a Localized Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire For Next Week, White House Says

The White House said on Friday that First lady Melania Trump helped broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians.

The ceasefire is set to begin on October 29 after Melania Trump worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to define the terms.

The Associated Press detailed that food and other supplies have been scarce in the city for months. There is no electricity or running water either, and roads leading there are riddled with mines and burned-out cars. As a result, those who have remained in the city could die unless supplies arrive.

The development comes as the countries keep trading strikes despite apparent progress toward peace talks.

Moscow launched attacks against energy infrastructure in different regions, cutting power for about half a million people. Moscow, on its end, said it managed to intercept almost 450 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to resume trilateral talks with the U.S. and Ukraine to seek an end to the war, a Kremlin aide said on Wednesday.

Foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin has agreed to renewed talks "in principle" following a meeting with President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

The talks would focus on "building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends," Ushakov claimed.

Witkoff met with Putin for about three hours and followed an encounter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Norway on Tuesday. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said after the meeting that he had seen "genuine progress."

Zelenskyy, on his end, said freezing the conflict would be the first step to end the conflict. "Right now, we have to freeze, and I think this is (the) real way to end this war," he told Fox News.