Melania Trump brokers temporary truce in southern Ukraine

A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect at 3 a.m. on Tuesday. The pause in hostilities is designed to support a humanitarian aid mission into the town of Oleshky, located in southern Ukraine's Kherson region.

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump led the negotiations for this temporary truce. Her office stated that she worked with civilian negotiators from both nations following briefings from United Nations officials. The U.N. reports that up to 2,000 people remain trapped in Oleshky, facing shortages of food and medicine due to minefields and drone attacks.

Representatives from the Russian and Ukrainian militaries confirmed in separate statements that the ceasefire had begun. The agreement is set to remain in place through Saturday, though it may be extended. Both sides have struggled with deep mistrust that has complicated previous ceasefire efforts.

While fighting paused in the south, missile strikes resumed elsewhere. Minutes after the 3 a.m. deadline, ballistic missiles impacted Kyiv, triggering air alerts across multiple parts of the country. In the capital, Russian missiles damaged a university campus late Monday, killing one person and injuring ten. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, late Monday attacks left two people dead and four injured.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the strikes in an online post. He wrote, “It is important that the world sees that Russia is showing nothing but a desire to kill and continue waging war.” The attacks occurred as diplomats prepare for the next phase of conflict resolution.

The aid mission to Oleshky is scheduled for later this week. Negotiators confirmed that medical staff, medicines, food, and water will be delivered before evacuation corridors open for residents. This effort precedes a new round of U.S.-brokered talks expected next month, aimed at ending the war that has lasted more than four and a half years.

Oleshky sits across the Dnipro River from the city of Kherson. Russian forces captured the town on the first day of their 2022 invasion. In June 2023, floodwaters from a collapsed dam further damaged the area. The region remains a contested zone where the river separates Russian and Ukrainian military lines.