Oleshky, occupied since February 2022, is home to an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 people, many elderly and in urgent need of medical care, food and clean water. “Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said in a statement. “Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.”

Melania Trump and one of her representatives worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. “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,” she said. The White House credited her with making the humanitarian intervention possible.

Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov confirmed that Russian troops would halt fire from 4 a.m. local time on October 27 to allow for the humanitarian operation to start. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also confirmed the ceasefire would begin on that date and would involve demining roads to the town, delivering food, and evacuating civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. had agreed to technical-level meetings in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland. Zelensky expressed hope that a meeting of the countries’ leaders would follow. The White House said the ceasefire was part of a broader U.S. push to organize new talks aimed at ending the war.

Calls for a ceasefire in Oleshky had previously been made by Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, EU officials, and the Council of Europe. Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets had also said agreement was close, without mentioning Melania Trump’s involvement. The White House’s announcement did not clarify how long the ceasefire would last.

The local population has been living under a “full blockade” by Russian forces, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Some residents have resorted to eating weeds and boiled grass to survive.