White House says Melania Trump brokered truce for Ukraine city 'on brink of disaster'

Fonte da imagem, Ksenia Arkhipova. Legenda da imagem, Esses moradores conseguiram sair de Oleshky na primavera deste ano.

• Published23 October 2026, 15:13 BST.

Comendo ervas de jardim para sobreviver em cidade ocupada pela Rússia, cortada de comida e água. Publicado 24 de setembro.

US First Lady Melania Trump has "successfully secured" a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, the White House has said.

It said the truce in the "front-line war city on the brink of disaster" without medicine, food and clean water would begin on 29 October.

Ucrânia e Rússia confirmaram que o acordo foi assinado para evacuar residentes e entregar ajuda. Ambas disseram que suas forças cessariam os disparos às 02:00 GMT de 27 de outubro.

Oleshky was seized by Russia during the first days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Trapped between Ukrainian positions across the Dnipro River and Russian forces to the east, residents have recently resorted to eating garden weeds to survive.

Figure caption, Trump: First lady's 'initiative' led to truce for Ukraine city.

A declaração da Casa Branca afirmou que Melania Trump e um de seus representantes trabalharam “diretamente com a liderança russa e ucraniana para definir os termos do cessar‑fogo localizado.”.

Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require," she is quoted as saying.

Residents who wish to evacuate will receive co-ordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.

Melania Trump added that Oleshky residents "have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks" and that "without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.

A declaração não indicou por quanto tempo o cessar‑fogo permaneceria em vigor.

Davyd Arakhamia, a Ukrainian MP who heads President Volodymyr Zelensky's party in parliament, later said "an operation to unblock the settlement of Oleshky and its surroundings will begin in the near future.

Para alcançar esse objetivo, um cessar-fogo será alcançado em um futuro próximo, conforme anunciado pela Primeira Dama dos Estados Unidos, Melania Trump," ele disse.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman confirmed that, "those who wish to do so will be able to leave this settlement.

Image source, Ksenia ArkhipovaImage caption, Oleshky has been without gas or electricity since 2023, so residents have had to find other solutions.

No mês passado, alguns dos residentes restantes de Oleshky contaram à BBC relatos angustiosos de como estavam sobrevivendo na cidade que estava sendo constantemente bombardeada e cortada de alimentos e água.

They said that children remaining in wider Oleshky were suffering from malnutrition, a lack of medical services and were "degrading" without access to education.

Many also told the BBC there was only one hospital partially operational, opening a few days a week to perform critical amputations.

The local population was living under a "full blockade" by Russian forces, according to Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Ukraine says it has attempted to deliver supplies to the area but has not had success in recent months.

The Kremlin in September acknowledged that Oleshky was facing "a critical situation" and "problems with supplies of food and medicine", but added that "Russia's military was working to resolve them" and blamed Kyiv.

Oleshky abrigava 24. 000 pessoas antes da invasão em grande escala da Rússia. Agora a Ucrânia estima que cerca de 6. 000 pessoas permanecem na cidade e em suas áreas circundantes, incluindo 200 crianças.

It is also one of a number of settlements where thousands of people lost their homes to a massive flooding caused by the collapse of Nova Khakovka Dam in 2023. Ukraine and its allies accused Russia of blowing up the dam, while Russia blamed Ukraine.

Fonte da imagem, EPA/ShutterstockLegenda da imagem, Melania Trump trabalhou diretamente com a liderança russa e ucraniana para acordar o cessar-fogo, disse a Casa Branca.

While the US first lady is relatively lower profile than some of her predecessors - and only occasionally seen at White House events - she has become involved in addressing humanitarian issues stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Em agosto de 2025, Melania Trump escreveu uma carta ao Putin, dizendo que era “tempo de proteger crianças e gerações futuras em todo o mundo”.

Although she did not mention Ukraine by name, just days later at the White House Zelensky handed over a letter from his wife Olena, thanking her for her efforts on children.

In a rare public appearance in October the same year, the US first lady said that Putin had answered directly in writing and that her representatives were working with the Russian president's team to repatriate Ukrainian children from Russia and vice versa.

Alguns 34 crianças foram devolvidas desde 2025, incluindo cinco este julho.

According to US President Donald Trump, his wife has also privately expressed scepticism about Putin and his desire to achieve peace.

I'd get home, I'd say, 'First lady, I had the most wonderful talk with Vladimir. I think we're finished'," Trump said in July last year.

E então eu ligarei a televisão, ou ela vai dizer para mim uma vez, 'Uau, isso é estranho porque eles acabaram de bombar um asilo.

Additional reporting by Olga Malchevska.

To stay or risk the 'Road of Death' - Ukrainian civilians trapped in frontline city.