First Lady Melania Trump is hosting Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the White House on Thursday and is to deliver remarks on the Oleshky ceasefire. Both sides have thanked her for brokering it. The US is set to lead renewed trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi next week.
US First Lady Melania Trump is hosting Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the White House on Thursday. She is to deliver remarks on the Oleshky ceasefire at 11:00 (16:00 GMT), according to the White House website. No details of what the event will entail have been shared.
Who will attend
The delegations will include Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia and Russian senior official Kirill Dmitriev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation will consist of Lantratova and Dmitriev. Lubinets and Lantratova travelled together into Oleshky last week.
The ceasefire and Melania Trump's role
The ceasefire in Ukraine's southern Kherson region allowed the evacuation of several hundred people from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky. The White House said Melania Trump had independently initiated engagement between the two warring nations and successfully secured a ceasefire. Both the Russian and Ukrainian sides repeatedly thanked her for brokering the ceasefire, though neither elaborated on the nature or extent of her involvement. In 2025, she said an open channel of communication had been established with Vladimir Putin, allowing Ukrainian children displaced in the war to be reunited with families.
Ukrainian honor and next talks
Ukraine bestowed the Order of Princess Olga, 1st class, on Melania Trump on Wednesday. According to the presidential decree, the award recognized her significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine. The United States is set to lead renewed trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, UAE, next week.
