On November 5, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump organized a meeting at the White House between representatives of Ukraine and Russia dedicated to a humanitarian operation in the temporarily occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region, UNN reports.
Details
On Thursday, November 5, a meeting between representatives of Ukraine and Russia took place in Washington, organized by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The main topic of the event was the results of a humanitarian operation in the temporarily occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region, where fighting was temporarily halted in late October to evacuate civilians.
The U.S. administration called the meeting an extraordinary diplomatic event. The White House emphasized that Melania Trump had personally initiated contacts between Ukraine and Russia that made it possible to achieve a temporary cessation of hostilities in the Oleshky area. In particular, the U.S. president's administration stated that the first lady had played a key role in organizing interaction between the parties and agreeing on a humanitarian ceasefire.
Who represented Ukraine and Russia
Ukraine was represented at the meeting by Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets and head of the parliamentary faction "Servant of the People" Davyd Arakhamia. Russia was represented by special envoy of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin Kirill Dmitriev and Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova.
What Melania Trump said
The U.S. first lady expressed hope that the ceasefire in Oleshky would contribute to establishing greater peace.
"Any meaningful change begins with a small spark. What matters is not a modest beginning, but the determination to turn it into something extraordinary," she said.
The wife of the U.S. president also emphasized that the successful completion of the mission in Oleshky would have been impossible without the personal will of the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
"The ceasefire in Oleshky would have been impossible without President Putin and President Zelenskyy. Their cooperation creates an important precedent for (establishing — ed.) peace throughout the region," Melania Trump emphasized.
She concluded her remarks with the statement that "we need to move toward lasting peace."
What representatives of Ukraine said
Ukrainian delegation representative Davyd Arakhamia noted that thanks to the ceasefire in Oleshky, both sides were mastering mechanisms for maintaining postwar peace.
What the Russian side said
Kirill Dmitriev, a representative of the Kremlin chief, thanked Melania Trump for her humanitarian activities and participation in reaching the ceasefire agreements. In addition, Dmitriev stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally issued instructions regarding the humanitarian operation and conveyed words of gratitude to the U.S. first lady.
What else is known about the meeting at the White House on November 5
The meeting between Melania Trump and representatives of Ukraine and Russia also took place on the eve of a new round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. It should be noted that the main part of it took place behind closed doors.
However, it became known that, following the meeting, Melania Trump handed letters to Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. Davyd Arakhamia and Kirill Dmitriev are to deliver them to the leaders of their respective countries.
What is known about the humanitarian operation in Oleshky
On October 23, the White House announced that Ukraine and Russia had reached an agreement on a temporary cessation of hostilities in the area of occupied Oleshky. The operation's main objective was to create safe conditions for delivering humanitarian aid and evacuating civilians who had effectively remained isolated for a long time because of the fighting, mined areas, and limited access to essential resources.
In her address, Melania Trump emphasized the critical situation of local residents.
"The situation in Oleshky is critical. Oleshky is a frontline city on the brink of catastrophe. The people who remain there are predominantly elderly and urgently need medical assistance, medicine, food, and clean water," the U.S. first lady said.
According to her, civilian representatives of Ukraine and Russia were to jointly determine the needs of the population, organize the delivery of aid, and facilitate the departure of those wishing to leave the dangerous area.
It was envisaged that evacuees would be able to choose their destination independently — either territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia.
The ceasefire effectively lasted from October 27 to November 1. During this period, humanitarian aid was delivered to Oleshky and the evacuation of civilians was organized. On November 2, Melania Trump reported that nearly 800 people had been evacuated from the dangerous area as a result of the humanitarian operation. Twenty-five buses were involved in the operation. Some evacuees decided to go to Russia, while the majority chose to return to territory controlled by Ukraine.
On October 31, the Ukrainian delegation that had taken part in the humanitarian mission returned to territory controlled by Ukraine. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that the evacuees included both elderly people and small children. The oldest evacuee was 94 years old, while the youngest child was just over one year old.
Recall
On November 2, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree awarding U.S. First Lady Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, First Class.