Kremlin confirms Melania Trump-brokered Oleshky ceasefire as both sides back the deal

The Kremlin on Friday confirmed that a US-brokered local ceasefire agreement had been struck regarding the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, and said the Russian and Ukrainian militaries were working to determine the dates for implementing it. Reuters

The confirmation marks a decisive shift from earlier on Friday, when the White House said US First Lady Melania Trump had secured the localised ceasefire, due to begin on 29 October, but neither Moscow nor Kyiv had confirmed the claim. The White House / Reuters

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that all civilians wishing to leave Oleshky would be allowed to do so, and that the evacuation operation itself was expected to take at least several days. Reuters

“We welcome the efforts of the First Lady of the United States, Mrs Melania Trump, who has made a significant contribution to the coordination of the humanitarian operation,” Peskov said. He added that the agreement had been discussed in a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Reuters

The Ukrainian side has also confirmed the deal: CNN reported on Friday that both Russian and Ukrainian officials had confirmed the limited ceasefire, while The Times said an unnamed senior Ukrainian official confirmed to Reuters that a ceasefire in the city would be established soon, and Ukrainian lawmaker David Arakhamiia said the “process of unblocking the city of Oleshky and its outskirts will begin very soon”. Kyiv Independent

One timing discrepancy remains: while the White House set 29 October as the start date, CNN reported that Russia’s defence ministry said it would implement the ceasefire in the region from 4 a.m. Moscow time on 27 October — the Kremlin itself says the militaries are still coordinating the dates.