First Lady Melania Trump brought Russian and Ukrainian officials together at the White House on Thursday and urged both sides to turn the short Oleshky ceasefire into lasting peace, according to a White House statement and coverage by Fox News.
In remarks delivered at the White House, Mrs. Trump said the humanitarian pause in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region should become “something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire,” Fox News reported. The White House described the gathering as an unprecedented First Lady-led meeting of representatives from two nations still at war.
NEW: First Lady Melania Trump hosts Russian and Ukrainian delegations after helping broker a localized ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region, aimed at allowing humanitarian aid to enter and civilians to evacuate safely.
During the meeting, Russian presidential… pic.twitter.com/iBh4jUmuy3
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 5, 2026
Humanitarian Truce and Evacuations
Mrs. Trump said she served as an “Exclusive Intermediary” in negotiations that produced written agreements signed by Russia and Ukraine on Oct. 23, according to the White House. She said the ceasefire allowed humanitarian aid into the area and the evacuation of nearly 800 civilians, and she credited cooperation from President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for making the arrangement possible.
“The ceasefire in Oleshky would not be possible without President Putin and President Zelensky,” she said in the prepared remarks released by the White House. “Their cooperation establishes a meaningful precedent for advancing peace throughout the region.”
Fox News reported that Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets took part in the White House event, where Ukraine presented Mrs. Trump with the Order of Princess Olga, First Class.
Call for a Longer Peace
Mrs. Trump framed Oleshky as “a spark in a world of darkness” and called on leaders to put the suffering of civilians ahead of the divisions of war, according to the White House text of her remarks. She said she reviewed demining plans, aerial images, roadways, evacuation routes and medical resources while coordinating the operation with both governments through her representative, Marc Beckman.
The White House said she also presented letters for Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy and showed the guests White House artifacts she said symbolized peace after past conflicts, including a medicine chest saved when British forces burned the White House in 1812.
The Oleshky arrangement itself wrapped up around Nov. 1 after roughly six days, according to earlier reporting summarized by Fox News and other outlets. Thursday’s White House event marked a fresh public push by the First Lady to build on that humanitarian window rather than treat it as a one-off pause.
Daily Beltway will update this story as additional official details are released from the White House and the participating governments.
Sources
Sources cited
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/11/first-lady-melania-trump-unites-russia-and-ukraine-at-the-white-house-following-historic-ceasefire/
- https://www.afp.com/en/melania-trump-calls-more-enduring-ukraine-ceasefire
- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/inside-melania-trumps-secret-diplomatic-role-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-deal
Sources
- Original post: Fox News (@FoxNews) on X, Nov 5, 2026
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