Melania Trump Meets Russian and Ukrainian Envoys at White House After Oleshky Evacuation

U.S. first lady Melania Trump met representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the White House in Washington following a humanitarian mission in the occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky. Residents were evacuated during the mission, and the meeting brought officials from both warring sides together with the American side.

Russia was represented by ombudswoman Yana Lantratova and presidential special envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Ukraine sent ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Davyd Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction in parliament.

Evacuation figures unconfirmed

Melania Trump said she had been involved in every stage of preparations, including reviewing demining plans, aerial images and evacuation routes. She said about 800 people were evacuated from Oleshky, but neither Russia nor Ukraine has confirmed that number. Lantratova said after the mission that 750 residents had been given the chance to leave, but "far fewer" actually did. Lubinets said the sides had agreed not to disclose how many went to Ukraine and how many to Russia.

The first lady said the ceasefire in Oleshky would have been impossible without the involvement of both countries' presidents, calling it a meaningful precedent for peace in the region. She gave Arakhamia and Dmitriev personal letters for Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Dmitriev thanked her for saving "many lives" and gave her a drawing he said was made by Lidia, an 11-year-old evacuated from Oleshky. Arakhamia described the ceasefire as the most significant de-escalation since 2022. Lubinets presented Melania Trump with the Order of Princess Olga, First Class; Zelensky signed the decree on November 2. Lantratova did not speak at the meeting, and the reason is unknown.

Donald Trump: "big agreement"

U.S. President Donald Trump met Dmitriev separately and then announced a "big beautiful agreement" on Ukraine that might involve all of Europe. He did not say what they had discussed.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a U.S. negotiator, said U.S., Ukrainian, NATO and European representatives had met in Brussels to discuss security guarantees for the whole continent. He said Russia, Ukraine and the United States would hold their first trilateral talks since February in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11.