A critical localised ceasefire in Ukraine that promises to help more than 1,000 civilians has set off an unlikely contest over who brokered the truce. The White House insists that United States’ First Lady Melania Trump mediated the ceasefire in Oleshky between Russia and Ukraine, after weeks of increasingly alarming reports from the town warning of a growing humanitarian crisis. But the Vatican has offered its own narrative, suggesting that the pope was responsible for helping the pause in fighting through phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Here’s what we know about the Oleshky ceasefire, and why the diverging versions of what led to the truce matter: Russia took the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky in the Kherson region in the early days of the invasion in February 2022 and has retained control over it since. But the town has suffered from extensive war damage and was later hit by flooding after the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in 2023. According to residents and officials, those who remain in the town, which the US estimates at 1,700-2,000 residents, have reported severe shortages of food, medicine, and other supplies.
Then, on October 23, a brief ceasefire was announced. Ukrainian and Russian officials have said the pause in fighting over Oleshky will allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of those who want to leave the Russian-occupied town. They’ve added that humanitarian corridors would be established to allow for aid deliveries.
Both sides have said this ceasefire, which is scheduled to end on Sunday, is not a comprehensive end to hostilities. Multiple diplomatic efforts to end the war have so far failed. Still, the Kremlin said on Monday that the truce might set a precedent for similar localised ceasefires in the future.
On Telegram, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that it had stopped shelling in the direction of Ukraine’s city of Kherson from 4am Moscow time ( ) on Tuesday, to prepare for the effort in Oleshky. Announcing the ceasefire on Friday, US First Lady Melania Trump said the situation in the town was “dire”, and it was on the “brink of disaster”. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible,” she said in a statement issued by the White House.
It added that Melania and her representatives had worked closely with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” said Melania.
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