By Salma El-Sakka
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded US First Lady Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, Ukraine's highest award for women, citing her significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine. The award follows a ceasefire in the southern Kherson region that enabled the evacuation of several hundred people from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
White House meeting scheduled
Russian and Ukrainian delegations, including ombudsmen and senior officials, are due to meet at the White House on Thursday at Melania Trump's invitation. The White House said she independently initiated engagement between the two warring nations and successfully secured a ceasefire, calling it an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American first lady.
Delegation details
The delegations will include Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia, and Russian senior official Kirill Dmitriev. Lubinets and Lantratova traveled together into Oleshky last week in an unusual show of cooperation. Arakhamia, who heads Zelensky's party in parliament, has previously participated in peace talks with Russia and confirmed his attendance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation comprises Lantratova and Dmitriev, a businessman close to the Kremlin.
Humanitarian efforts recognized
Zelensky's decree also cited Melania Trump's wider humanitarian work, including efforts concerning Ukrainian children affected by the war. In 2025 she said an open channel of communication had been established with Russian President Vladimir Putin, allowing for the reunification of displaced Ukrainian children with their families. The UN earlier this year said the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia constitutes a crime against humanity and a war crime. Ukraine says almost 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus since the 2022 invasion.
Further talks planned
Russian, Ukrainian, and American representatives are also set to meet in Abu Dhabi next week for the first trilateral meeting since February, focused on postwar security agreements and de-escalation, according to US envoy Steve Witkoff.
