Local truce in occupied Oleshky appears to hold as Putin speaks with Finnish and Norwegian leaders
A temporary ceasefire began on Tuesday in Russian-occupied Oleshky, southern Ukraine, ahead of a planned evacuation of about 2,000 trapped civilians. The same day, Finland's president and Norway's prime minister held a phone call with Vladimir Putin about ending the war.
A local ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine, appeared to be holding on Tuesday after it took effect at 3am. Both sides have stopped drone attacks, and an evacuation of about 2,000 trapped civilians is planned for Thursday or Friday. Ukrainian officials say the pause is due to last until 11pm on Sunday. It is limited, but marks a notable step towards de-escalation ahead of expected talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US.
A city under blockade
Oleshky lies on the Dnipro River, about three miles from Kherson, which Ukrainian forces retook in autumn 2022. Witnesses said the frontline along the river was quiet for the first time in four years. According to the source, between 1,500 and 2,000 people live under a complete Russian blockade. Food was last delivered to shops in May, and many residents are starving and eating weeds. The Ukrainian military has airdropped food with drones, but locals say Russian security forces detain anyone who picks it up.
The White House says US First Lady Melania Trump requested the humanitarian mission, in which buses will take residents to occupied Crimea and Russia. Calls for a ceasefire also came from Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, EU officials and the Council of Europe. Ukrainian observers say the Kremlin is planning a propaganda tour blaming Kyiv for the destruction of Oleshky.
Call with Putin
Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, and Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, held a phone call with Putin that they described as "frank and substantive". Støre said big differences remained. The call was linked to expected Russia–Ukraine–US talks in Abu Dhabi next month. The two leaders stressed that they spoke for their own countries, not for Europe as a whole. Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, criticised the initiative as not agreed with other countries.
The truce does not cover the rest of Ukraine: overnight, Russia attacked Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least one person and injuring 15.
