The Japan Times - Melania Trump announces truce in Ukrainian city 'on brink of disaster'

Residents in the Russian-occupied city would be allowed to choose to evacuate to either Ukraine or Russia under the truce, which would begin on October 29, said a statement from her office.

"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster," the 56-year-old wife of US President Donald Trump said in the statement.

"It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible."

The Kremlin welcomed Melania Trump's "humanitarian" involvement, while Russia's army chief said it would observe the truce from 0100 GMT on October 27. There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine.

The announcement comes a year after the Slovenian-born former model stunned the world by revealing she had established a channel of communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reunify children separated from their parents by the war.

It also comes as President Trump steps up efforts to end Moscow's four-and-a-half-year war on Ukraine -- largely by pivoting back towards Putin and away from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

- 'Save children' -

Trump praised his wife, saying the Oleshky ceasefire was "her initiative" and came after her office contacted both sides.

"What she wants to do is save children," Trump told reporters.

Asked if she could participate in trilateral Ukraine-Russia-US peace talks that are due to restart next month, Trump replied: "No, but it's not the worst idea I've ever heard."

Melania Trump said she had worked with the Russian and Ukrainian leaderships on the Oleshky plan -- describing herself as an "exclusive intermediary."

She said tha civilian leaders from both countries would "work together" and visit the devastated city to assess aid needs.

"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.

She added that she an "impartial American media organization" would "accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground throughout the process" to ensure residents' wishes were respected.

The First Lady did not identify the news organization.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also praised Melania.

"We welcome the efforts of the First Lady of the USA, Melania Trump, who has made a significant contribution to the ceasefire in Oleshky," Peskov said in a call with reporters.

"The military is working on coordinating the timeframe for the ceasefire."

- Guarded image -

Oleshky, on the southern bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, was seized by Russian troops in 2022. The population has dropped from about 24,000 before Russia invaded to around 2,000 today.

Former residents of the city told AFP earlier this month that people there were caught in the crossfire between Russia and Ukraine and facing worsening shortages of food and medication.

Melania Trump carefully guards her image and is an infrequent presence at the White House, preferring to stay in New York.

But she has ramped up her public profile in recent months, launching a series of initiatives, including one to help older foster children and another to tackle online harassment.

Last week Melania Trump unveiled a women's health program in a press conference in the White House Rose Garden alongside her husband, who lavished praise on her.

In January she released a documentary movie called "Melania" giving a manicured view of her husband's return to power. The film was funded by a multimillion-dollar deal with Amazon.

In another surprise move earlier this year, she gave a rare on-camera statement denying any knowledge of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's abuse -- a scandal that has long haunted her husband.

Y.Hara--JT