Melania Trump seeks lasting Ukraine ceasefire

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House on Thursday to call for continued cooperation toward a lasting peace. Speaking at the White House, the first lady highlighted the humanitarian achievements of a recent ceasefire in Oleshky, a frontline town in Ukraine's southern Kherson region.

According to Yonhap News, the first lady began working with officials through her representative, Marc Beckman, in September and stated that both countries signed written agreements recognizing her as the exclusive intermediary. This led to a ceasefire agreement on October 23, which Yonhap News reports lasted six days after beginning on October 27.

During the event, Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that Putin had personally issued instructions to ensure the ceasefire was implemented. David Arakhamia, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker, attended the meeting and praised the initiative. The Guardian US noted that the ceasefire occurred in Oleshky, a town currently occupied by Russia where 800 people lived through a protracted humanitarian crisis.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Yonhap News, The Guardian US — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.