By Islam El-Sakka
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded U.S. First Lady Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, 1st class, citing her significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine and her work helping Ukrainian children, including those deported from Russian-occupied territory.
The presidential decree, dated November 2, recognized Trump's pivotal role in securing a six-day ceasefire to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied southern town of Oleshky in the Kherson region. The pause in fighting, which began on Tuesday and concluded on Sunday, marked the longest local cessation of hostilities since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Nearly 800 people were evacuated during the ceasefire, according to Trump. The White House said she brokered the humanitarian mission after the plight of Oleshky, a frontline city with a predominantly elderly population in urgent need of medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water, caught her attention.
Pope Leo XIV also spoke this month with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging them to allow humanitarian aid into Oleshky and the safe evacuation of civilians, the Vatican said. Zelensky previously expressed gratitude to Trump for her role in halting the fighting.
Both Ukraine and Russia are eager to win the approval of U.S. President Donald Trump as he pushes for a broader peace settlement. On Thursday, Melania Trump is scheduled to host representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the White House in what the White House described as an "extraordinary moment in American history" and an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American first lady.
