Melania Trump brokers local truce in southern Ukraine

A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect at 3 a.m. on Tuesday to facilitate a humanitarian mission into the occupied town of Oleshky. The pause in fighting was arranged by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, who led negotiations with civilian representatives from both nations after receiving briefings from United Nations officials on the town's condition.

The truce is designed to allow medical staff, food, water, and medicine to reach up to 2,000 residents currently stranded in Oleshky. According to the U.N., these residents have been unable to leave due to explosive mines and frequent drone attacks. The aid mission is scheduled to take place later this week, ahead of a new round of U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv expected next month.

Officials from both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries confirmed the start of the ceasefire in separate statements. The local agreement is set to remain in place through Saturday, though the duration could extend longer. Previous attempts to establish ceasefires have been hindered by deep mistrust between the two sides.

Despite the pause in the south, missile attacks resumed in Kyiv shortly after the ceasefire began. Minutes after 3 a.m., multiple ballistic missile explosions were reported in the capital, triggering air alerts across several regions. City officials said Russian ballistic missiles had already damaged the grounds of a university in Kyiv late Monday, killing one person and injuring ten.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, authorities reported that attacks late Monday killed two people and injured four. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted online shortly after the strikes, stating that it was important for the world to see that Russia showed a desire to continue waging war.

Oleshky is located in the Kherson region, approximately 550 kilometers southeast of Kyiv. The town sits on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from Kherson, the region's administrative capital. Russian forces captured Oleshky on the first day of their full-scale invasion in 2022. In June 2023, the town was flooded after a dam collapsed, adding to the challenges faced by its residents.

Negotiators involved in the current mission said evacuation corridors would be opened after the initial delivery of doctors and supplies. The Dnipro River currently separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in the area, a line that has remained largely unchanged since Russian forces retreated from Kherson city several months after the initial 2022 invasion.