By Fatma Younis
US First Lady Melania Trump called for a "more enduring" ceasefire in Ukraine as she hosted Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the White House on Tuesday, following a six-day truce in the southern Kherson region that allowed hundreds of residents to evacuate the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky.
Ceasefire enables evacuation
The ceasefire, credited to Trump's behind-the-scenes efforts, permitted civilians facing starvation and bombardment to leave Oleshky and neighboring areas for the first time since 2022. "The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace," Trump said. She detailed reviewing demining plans, aerial images, evacuation routes, and medical resources during the truce.
Unusual White House gathering
The meeting brought together Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia, and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. All parties thanked Trump for a key, though unspecified, role in the ceasefire and conveyed gratitude from Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Trump handed Dmitriev and Arakhamia personal letters for their respective leaders.
Divergent assessments of Trump's role
While Dmitriev praised Trump for "saving and touching so many lives" and Arakhamia called the ceasefire the "biggest de-escalation since 2022," a Kherson regional government source told the BBC that groundwork for the evacuation had been ongoing for nearly a year before other individuals became involved and took credit. Ukrainian analysts and a source close to US officials suggested the ceasefire ultimately depended on Putin's willingness to halt fighting, possibly to benefit Donald Trump's midterm election prospects.
Continued violence elsewhere
Despite the pause in Kherson, Russian drone and missile attacks continued across Ukraine. On Monday, more than 40 people were killed in a strike on an aid distribution center in Zaporizhzhia, with more feared buried under rubble.
