White House confirms Oleshky truce for Oct. 29

The White House announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine. The pause in fighting is scheduled to begin on Oct. 29. Officials credited First Lady Melania Trump with brokering the deal to deliver humanitarian aid.

Oleshky has been under pressure since the war began. The White House stated that about 90 percent of the city is currently flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. The population has dropped from roughly 24,000 before the conflict to between 1,700 and 2,000 people. That remaining group includes approximately 50 children. Most are elderly residents who require medical care, food, and clean water.

The agreement allows non-military teams from both nations to enter the city. These teams will visit homes and arrange transport for civilians who wish to leave. The White House stated that a designated safe passage will be established for this civilian evacuation. Melania Trump said the situation on the front line is dire. She described the population as being on the brink of disaster.

Russian military leadership has already set the start time for the cessation of hostilities. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Russian forces will stop firing at 4 a.m. local time on Oct. 27. This two-day buffer is intended to support the humanitarian operation before the formal truce takes hold on the 29th. The Kremlin noted that the evacuation process will take at least a few days to complete.

Ukrainian negotiators confirmed the details of the corridor. David Arakhamia, the country's top negotiator, wrote on Telegram that the humanitarian operation begins once the ceasefire is active. He said the accord followed a long process involving both the U.S. First Lady and Pope Leo. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with the Pope last week and indicated he was ready to co-operate on the issue.

The announcement comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said technical-level talks will occur in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. He told the Hudson Institute that he spoke with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after their meeting with Putin. Zelenskyy said any final peace deal requires strong security guarantees and 10 years of funding for the Ukrainian army.

Fighting continued elsewhere on Friday. Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport suspended operations briefly due to a Ukrainian drone threat. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences downed 21 drones heading for the capital over two hours. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each. Acting Ukrainian prosecutor general Anton Kovalskyi said more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since the full-scale invasion began.