US First Lady Melania Trump said in a surprise announcement Friday she had secured a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged city of Oleshky, where citizens are trapped and short of food.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania, the wife of President Donald Trump, said in a statement released by her office.
“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 added.
The localized ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky would begin on October 29, the statement said. There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow or Kyiv The announcement comes a year after Melania Trump stunned the world by revealing she had established a back channel of communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin.