By Lex Harvey, CNN
(CNN) — A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the occupied city of Oleshky that First Lady Melania Trump helped to broker has now gone into effect, officials on both sides said Tuesday.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliament commissioner for human rights, said the ceasefire went into effect at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time Tuesday in a post to X.
Russia’s defense ministry said on Telegram it stopped shelling in the direction of Oleshky at the same time Tuesday, Reuters news agency reported.
The pause in fighting is intended to help evacuate elderly residents and bring urgently needed humanitarian aid to the town on the frontlines of the fighting, which has been occupied by Russia since the first days of the invasion in 2022. Ukrainian authorities have said about 1,700 people remain in Oleshky.
Lubinets said the ceasefire is “part of a humanitarian mission being carried out with the mediation and coordination of US First Lady Melania Trump, in cooperation with Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights.”
It was unclear how long the ceasefire was due to last.
The first lady announced Friday she had worked with Ukrainian and Russian leadership to secure the localized ceasefire as the “exclusive intermediary.”
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks,” Melania Trump said in a statement Friday.
“Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require,” she added.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday Kyiv had been working to negotiate this deal for “some time.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov credited Trump for her “significant contribution.”
Donald Trump praised his wife’s efforts on Friday, saying “they contacted both sides, and both sides wanted to do it.” He said that her focus remains on helping the children impacted by the war.
Pope Leo also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky on an October 16 phone call with Putin while in the hospital recovering from lung cancer surgery, according to the Vatican.
The first lady’s office said last week that the circumstances of Oleshky came to her attention during a private discussion at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.
The-CNN-Wire
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