White House Locks In Oleshky Truce To Rescue 2,000 Starving Civilians

The White House announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to halt military operations in the city of Oleshky effective October 27. The temporary ceasefire aims to address a deepening humanitarian crisis that has left thousands of civilians in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city struggling to survive. Under the terms of the arrangement, fighting will cease to facilitate the delivery of aid and the evacuation of residents.

First Lady Melania Trump’s office brokered the agreement, with her representative working directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to set the conditions for the truce. Trump stated that residents wishing to leave would receive coordinated transportation to their chosen destinations, noting that some would likely travel to Russia while others would head to Ukraine. This intervention follows weeks of diplomatic efforts, as Ukrainian officials previously claimed that Moscow rejected earlier calls for a humanitarian pause.

The humanitarian situation in Oleshky, which has been under Russian control since February 2022, has deteriorated sharply. An estimated 2,000 people remain in the city, facing severe shortages of food, water, and electricity. Residents have reported surviving on weeds, boiled grass, and meager rations. Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, told Reuters on Friday that the mission would involve demining roads into the town, delivering food, and evacuating civilians, with officials hoping the effort would extend beyond a one-off event.

Ukrainian forces have spent weeks attempting to push for a civilian evacuation from Oleshky and nearby settlements, using drones to airdrop emergency food and medical supplies into the town. Lubinets said a sufficient quantity of humanitarian aid would be delivered to meet the needs of everyone who requires it. Prior to this agreement, Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, the European Union, and the Council of Europe had all urged the belligerents to implement a ceasefire. Zelenskyy had also discussed the issue directly with the Pope.

Despite the progress on the ground, diplomatic relations between Washington and Kyiv remain tense. Ukrainian forces reported widespread disruption to the Starlink satellite network on Friday, even after US President Donald Trump claimed that Elon Musk had lifted restrictions on the service. The slowdown began the previous week after Trump and Musk publicly criticized Zelenskyy over continued strikes on Russian oil refineries. Both Trump and Musk have denied responsibility for the interference. Trump told reporters on Friday that he would speak to Musk if the issue was not resolved.

Ukrainian officials said internet speeds remained capped at approximately 100 miles per hour throughout Friday. Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert who advises Zelenskyy, stated that no lifting of the restrictions had been observed. The speed cap prevents Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from maintaining connectivity at high speeds, which hampers offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham emphasized to Trump in a phone call that Ukraine requires full access to Starlink, according to Downing Street.

The Starlink dispute, combined with Zelenskyy’s complaints that Washington temporarily suspended intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, has pushed bilateral relations to a new low. Tensions initially escalated when the US lifted sanctions on Russia and began importing Russian diesel as Trump sought to lower US energy prices ahead of midterm elections. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that three tankers were heading to the United States, and that Russian companies could supply 500,000 metric tonnes in October. Russia launched another overnight barrage on Ukraine on Friday, even as Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US are expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November. Putin told a state television reporter late on Thursday that the lands lost by Kyiv are Russia’s historical lands and insisted Moscow would achieve all objectives of its full-scale invasion.