Melania Trump hosts Russian and Ukrainian officials at White House after Oleshky truce

First lady Melania Trump is due to receive officials from Russia and Ukraine at the White House on Thursday, Euronews reported. The meeting follows her office’s part in arranging a partial ceasefire that allowed civilians to leave the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky.

According to Euronews, Russia’s state-owned TASS agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Kirill Dmitriev, Moscow’s adviser for international economic cooperation, and human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova plan to meet her. Peskov attached a condition: the meeting would go ahead “provided that all logistical arrangements work out”.

Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said he would also meet the first lady. Writing on Facebook on Wednesday, he said he was heading to Washington for important meetings and asked followers what single message they would pass to her.

Her office had earlier said in a statement that she would “personally bring representatives of Russia and Ukraine, two nations actively at war, together at the White House”. Euronews said she was expected to speak publicly on Thursday.

The Oleshky truce

The visit builds on a local halt in fighting that Melania Trump announced last month. Residents of Oleshky, on the southern front, had endured weeks of shortages of food and medicine. Euronews said both Ukrainian and Russian forces respected the pause, which allowed roads to be cleared of mines and let people leave for either Ukraine or Russia.

Her office said she had “independently initiated engagement” to secure the ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region. It described the result as an “unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American First Lady”.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded her the Order of Princess Olga. According to the decree on the presidential website, the honour recognises her “significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine, and for active human rights and charitable work”. Euronews added that she has also been involved in efforts to return Ukrainian children who were taken to Russia.

Abu Dhabi talks next

The White House meeting comes ahead of talks in Abu Dhabi next week that Euronews described as the first involving all three sides since February. Zelenskyy said he had held long, detailed conversations with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to prepare for them.

Euronews said the prospect of talks has revived hopes for peace as Russia’s full-scale invasion moves into its fifth year. It also noted that a recent rapprochement between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has raised concerns in Kyiv that the United States could turn its back on Ukraine.

What the Thursday meeting will produce is not spelled out in the reporting. The Russian side’s participation was described as conditional on logistics, and neither the first lady’s office nor the officials have said whether the encounter will go beyond humanitarian issues such as the Oleshky evacuation and the return of children.