Melania Trump Hosts Russian and Ukrainian Officials at White House Over Oleshky Evacuation

US first lady Melania Trump on Thursday hosted Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House in Washington to mark a limited ceasefire in Oleshky, a frontline Ukrainian town now occupied by Russia. The truce allowed the evacuation of about 800 people who had lived through a prolonged humanitarian crisis. It was one of the highest-level gatherings of Russian and Ukrainian officials in recent months.

Who took part

Seated side by side were Kirill Dmitriev, the sanctioned head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund who regularly negotiates for Moscow, and Davyd Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party and a chief Ukrainian negotiator. Also present were the two countries' human rights ombudspeople, Ukraine's Dmytro Lubinets and Russia's Yana Lantratova, who have worked respectfully together during the evacuation.

Dmitriev gave Trump a children's drawing inscribed "I love Melania" and a personal message of thanks from Vladimir Putin. Lubinets presented her with the Order of Princess Olga, first class, one of Ukraine's highest honours. She later handed personal letters to Dmitriev and Arakhamia for delivery to Putin and Zelenskyy.

Trump called for "humanity over war" and said she hoped the limited ceasefire would "inspire greater peace". She said she had been involved in every stage of planning, including reviewing de-mining plans, aerial images and evacuation routes.

Background

The meeting followed a bitter public feud between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump, during which the US cut intelligence sharing and satellite internet access in recent weeks. Russian missiles and drones continue to hit Kyiv and other cities, and a single strike killed 40 people in Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday. White House aide Marc Beckman described the event as the first time in US history that a first lady had brought together representatives of two nations at war.