United States First Lady, Melania Trump, has called for a more lasting ceasefire in Ukraine as she hosted Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House following a six-day truce in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson.
The ceasefire, which allowed hundreds of residents of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky to evacuate amid starvation and persistent bombardment, was reportedly brokered with the involvement of US President Donald Trump.
Both Moscow and Kyiv credited the American president with facilitating the agreement.
“The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace,” Melania said during the meeting.
The gathering brought senior Russian and Ukrainian officials together outside the framework of formal US-mediated peace negotiations, which have remained unsuccessful since last year.
The delegations included Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, and Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, alongside Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Dmitriev also held a separate meeting with Donald Trump, who later confirmed the engagement to reporters but declined to disclose details of their discussion.
The US president, however, expressed confidence that a broader agreement would be reached.
“There’s going to be an agreement,” he asserted, “it’s going to be a big agreement, and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine… and I could even say it might involve all of Europe.”
Melania, who received appreciation from both delegations for her role in the humanitarian ceasefire, said she had been involved in reviewing evacuation and demining arrangements, as well as assessing access to hospitals, road networks, vehicles and medical supplies.
“Last week in Oleshky and neighbouring areas of Kherson, people experienced the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022,” she said. “They walked down familiar streets without fear of explosions.”
She also expressed gratitude to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin for their roles in the process, without addressing the origins of the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Dmitriev, a businessman and special envoy of Putin who has represented Moscow in previous negotiations, praised the US first lady for her humanitarian efforts.
“Let us continue making a humanitarian contribution together; this is within our power,” he said, describing her contribution as one that had been “saving and touching so many lives”.
Dmitriev subsequently presented Melania with a framed drawing by an 11-year-old evacuee from Oleshky.
He also commended her efforts towards reuniting children separated from their families during the conflict, including children allegedly abducted by Russia.
Arakhamia, who leads Zelensky’s party in Ukraine’s parliament and has participated in peace negotiations, described the Oleshky ceasefire as the “biggest de-escalation since 2022”.
“We are creating a momentum where both sides are learning the… mechanics of how to actually keep the peace when the peace comes,” he said.
He acknowledged the difficulties surrounding political negotiations to end the war but urged Melania to sustain her humanitarian initiatives and explore further opportunities to reduce tensions.
Arakhamia said Ukrainians were asking the first lady “to keep going and find new missions and de-escalate more.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, Melania handed Dmitriev and Arakhamia personal letters addressed to Putin and Zelensky, respectively.
The White House also disclosed that she had invited the delegations to view two historical artefacts she personally selected as symbols of peace.
One was an 18th-century medicine chest removed from the White House after British forces set the building ablaze in 1812.
The second was a cup presented in 1899 to the French ambassador in recognition of his efforts to help end the Spanish-American War.
According to the White House, the artefacts were intended to demonstrate how former adversaries could eventually establish lasting relationships.
Melania has largely maintained a low profile on foreign policy issues, while neither Moscow nor Kyiv has provided detailed information about the extent of her involvement in coordinating the ceasefire.
A source in the local government of Kherson told the BBC that preparations for the evacuation of Oleshky residents had been underway for nearly a year.
The source, however, suggested that other individuals became involved at a later stage and began taking credit for work that had already been substantially completed.
“At a certain point other individuals became involved, seemingly after most of the groundwork had already been laid and subsequently began taking credit for the progress that had been made.”
The source added that it remained difficult to establish the precise contributions of different parties, noting that those who had participated in the negotiations for nearly a year were later prevented from speaking publicly about the process.
Zelensky, speaking after the White House meeting, said the ceasefire demonstrated that Russia could halt hostilities whenever its president decided to do so.
“The same applies to our people who are held in Russian captivity. When Putin wants, they go home.”
A source close to American officials also suggested that Putin was ultimately responsible for making the ceasefire possible, despite the public recognition given to Melania Trump.
The source reportedly argued that the agreement was designed to transfer diplomatic momentum to Donald Trump ahead of the US midterm elections.
Ukrainian political analyst Dmytro Levus similarly told the BBC that Russia’s position had not changed, adding that Moscow had agreed to the ceasefire because of pressure from Washington.
He said the development reinforced Zelensky’s argument that Russia could quickly suspend its attacks and maintain a ceasefire when necessary.
Despite the temporary calm in Kherson, other parts of Ukraine continued to face Russian attacks.
Several drone and missile strikes were reported across the country during the week, with more than 40 people killed in a single Russian attack on an aid distribution centre in Zaporizhzhia on Monday.
Additional victims were reportedly still trapped beneath the rubble.
