White House says Ukraine and Russia agree local ceasefire in occupied Oleshky from Oct. 29

Ukraine and Russia have agreed to halt military activity in Russian-occupied Oleshky in the Kherson region beginning October 29, the White House announced on Friday, October 23.

The agreement is intended to allow humanitarian aid into the city and prepare civilian evacuations. The White House credited US First Lady Melania Trump with securing the local ceasefire.

The White House said both nations agreed to "temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky" to allow humanitarian aid to enter and prepare civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway.

Non-military representatives from Ukraine and Russia will visit residents at home to assess their needs. Civilians wishing to leave will receive coordinated transportation to a destination of their choice — either in Ukraine or Russia. The White House said an unnamed impartial American media organisation would accompany both countries' teams to document the process. The statement did not detail how the ceasefire, aid deliveries or evacuation route would be monitored.

The White House estimates between 1,700 and 2,000 people remain in Oleshky, including approximately 50 children. Most residents are elderly. Melania Trump described conditions as "dire," citing urgent needs for medical care, medicine, food and clean water, as well as mined roads and regular military attacks.

The announcement follows months of warnings from Ukrainian officials and international organisations about conditions in Oleshky. Kyiv has said residents lack reliable access to food, water and medicine, while mines and drone attacks make it dangerous to leave.

Earlier this week, Ukraine and Russia were discussing an evacuation arrangement for Oleshky and six nearby settlements. Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said the parties were working through unresolved details for a ceasefire and evacuation to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Ukraine estimated that around 6,000 civilians, including up to 200 children, could remain across the seven settlements. Lubinets said negotiations were continuing daily and that difficult issues remained.

Oleshky lies across the Dnipro River from Ukrainian-controlled Kherson and has been under Russian occupation since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The city also suffered flooding after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed in June 2023.

Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian government had immediately commented, the Associated Press reported. The White House did not specify how long the truce would last or how many people would be evacuated.