WASHINGTON (AP):
Ukraine’s top negotiator involved in a humanitarian mission led by US first lady Melania Trump has said that a local ceasefire with Russia will start Tuesday – two days before the mission begins – and last several days.
Ukrainian, Russian and US negotiators reached a deal Friday to provide humanitarian assistance in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, in the war-divided region of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian ombudsman and his country’s chief negotiator in the talks, said the ceasefire would take effect across the Kherson region and neighbouring areas essential to the operation. He added that the initiative could act as a model for future humanitarian missions.
The White House said Melania Trump had initiated discussions after learning about the situation during an event she hosted during last month’s UN General Assembly session. It said she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. Russian officials also confirmed the arrangement.
Lubinets earlier Friday thanked Melania Trump for her involvement and said the deal would be tough to accomplish. He said the agreement calls for a ceasefire, followed by the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid. Finally, civilians will be allowed to leave Oleshky, he said in a video message posted online.
“The operation will be carried out gradually and is extremely challenging to implement,” Lubinets said.
Lubinets said the operation would involve removing mines on the way to Oleshky before the physical delivery of humanitarian aid and the arranging of evacuations.
He gave no further details on how the ceasefire or the aid mission would be monitored or implemented, citing the sensitivity of the negotiations. He declined to comment when asked if Melania Trump would travel to Ukraine, but described her involvement as invaluable.
“When Melania Trump learned about the situation in Oleshky, the negotiation process began under her coordination,” he said. “For several weeks, we discussed many questions, initiatives and ideas. We established new approaches, mechanisms and tools to do everything possible to help civilians in Oleshky survive.”
The White House announced first lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians. As President Donald Trump departed the White House he was asked if she would be part of trilateral negotiations.
Russia’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said Russian forces “will cease fire on the Kherson axis” starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday in Moscow “in connection with the humanitarian operation near Oleshky.” Russian forces will also carry out “engineering reconnaissance” and ensure “safe movement of the humanitarian convoy” into the city, Gerasimov said.
Russia’s human rights ombudswoman, Yana Lantratova, confirmed Friday that Melania Trump had brokered an agreement on “organising a humanitarian mission” in Oleshky. Lantratova, who said she participated in negotiations, said providing such assistance is Russia’s priority.
The first step will be to clarify what people need and organize the delivery of food, medicine, hygiene products and other essentials, Lantratova said in an online statement. Safe passage will be guaranteed for anyone who wants to leave the combat zone, she said, adding that it will require abiding by the ceasefire and creating safe conditions for humanitarian vehicles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was grateful to the first lady. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump had recently discussed the effort.
Peskov said “those who want to leave it would be able to do so”. He would not say whether they would be taken to Russia- or Ukraine-held territory. He also demurred when asked how long the evacuation will last, saying only it would most likely take several days.
Melania Trump has made helping children in conflict zones one of her signature issues in her husband’s second term. She hosted a UN Security Council meeting on the issue earlier this year, and last year wrote Putin about efforts to reunite families with children who have been displaced by the war. She has helped reunite nearly three dozen children, according to her senior adviser, Marc Beckman.
“What she wants to do is save children, and that’s her focus,” the president said about his wife during a question-and-answer exchange with journalists at the White House.
Beckman portrayed the first lady’s work on the ceasefire as an extension of her efforts to help reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families after they were separated by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
