US First Lady Melania Trump has said that a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine had been expanded beyond the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the southern Kherson region to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and protect civilians.
In a post on X, Melania Trump said the timing had been brought forward by two days to improve civilian safety and speed up the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance.
“Timing was accelerated two days ahead of schedule to protect the safety of civilians and to facilitate the delivery of critical humanitarian aid,” she wrote.
“The ceasefire’s geographic area has expanded beyond Oleshky, within the Kherson Region, to provide safe passage for the humanitarian convoys,” she added.
Truce set to remain in place until November 1
The ceasefire in Oleshky took effect at 0100 GMT on Tuesday, with the stated aim of enabling humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova said the US-brokered arrangement would remain in force until 22:59 Moscow time on November 1.
Lantratova said the agreement was being “fully upheld” and that neither side had reported ceasefire violations as of 5:30 pm Moscow time (1430 GMT) on Tuesday.
“The ceasefire has been in effect since 4 am Moscow time (0100 GMT) … today in areas relevant to the humanitarian mission. It will remain in place until 22:59 on Nov. 1,” she said in a statement.
Russian and Ukrainian officials maintain contact
Lantratova said Russia continued working with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets, with the mediation and coordination of Melania Trump.
She stressed that the terms of the agreement needed to continue to be respected.
The expanded ceasefire marks an effort to create safer conditions for humanitarian operations in the conflict-affected area. However, neither Ukrainian nor US officials had publicly commented on Lantratova’s remarks at the time of reporting.
