White House Confirms Oleshky Truce for October 29

The White House confirmed on Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Oleshky. The arrangement is scheduled to begin on October 29 and is intended to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians.

According to the announcement, the city currently holds between 1,700 and 2,000 residents. This figure represents a sharp decline from the pre-war population of roughly 24,000. The White House stated that approximately 90 percent of the city was flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Among the remaining inhabitants are about 50 children.

The White House credited Melania Trump with securing the agreement. A statement released by the office noted that Trump and her representative worked directly with leadership from both Russia and Ukraine to establish the terms of the localized truce. Trump described the situation in Oleshky as dire. She said the remaining population consists mostly of elderly people who urgently require medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.

Under the terms of the deal, non-military teams from both nations will visit residents in their homes. These teams will assist in arranging transport for anyone who wishes to leave for either Russia or Ukraine. Ukraine's top negotiator, David Arakhamia, wrote on Telegram that the humanitarian operation would commence once the ceasefire takes hold. He stated that the accord followed a long process involving both Trump and Pope Leo. The agreement is designed to create a corridor for people to exit and for assistance to enter.

The Kremlin indicated that the evacuation process would take at least a few days. Russian officials praised Trump's role in the deal. President Vladimir Putin reportedly told Pope Leo by telephone last week that he was ready to co-operate on the issue. Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Chief of the General Staff, said Russian forces will stop firing from 4 a.m. local time on October 27 to support the operation.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States agreed to hold technical-level talks in Abu Dhabi. These discussions are set for the first half of November. Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute that he had spoken with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff following their meeting with Putin. He stated that any peace deal would need strong security guarantees and 10 years of funding for Ukraine's army.

The announcements come amid continued military activity. Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport briefly suspended operations due to a Ukrainian drone threat. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences downed 21 drones headed for the capital over two hours. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each. Anton Kovalskyi, Ukraine's acting prosecutor general, said more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the full-scale invasion began. That total includes 762 children.