Zelenskyy: Oleshky truce shows de-escalation with Russia is possible

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Istanbul on Saturday that the humanitarian operation in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, in Ukraine's Kherson region, clearly shows that de-escalation steps with Russia are possible. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said international interest is growing in a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea, intended to keep energy and grain shipments from Russia and Ukraine flowing without obstruction.

Statements by Zelenskyy and Erdoğan

At a news conference alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zelenskyy said strong decisions are needed for peace. In his view, Russia must receive signals that there is no alternative to peace and that support for Ukraine will not weaken. The two leaders discussed the prospect of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US in early November, as well as ways to involve Türkiye and all of Europe.

Erdoğan said attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea are unacceptable regardless of who carries them out, and urged both Russia and Ukraine to act responsibly. He added that talks on restoring the safety of navigation would continue. Zelenskyy accused Russia of making the situation in the Black Sea difficult.

The US position

Speaking to reporters in Atlanta after a two-day G20 foreign ministers' meeting, Rubio said Washington was reviewing proposals from Turkey and India to get grain shipments moving, while still pressing for a broader negotiated settlement of the war. He described growing interest, though not momentum, in partial deals such as halting attacks on ships carrying grain and, in some cases, energy. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took part in the meeting despite objections from European and Canadian leaders.

Evacuees from Oleshky

During the US-brokered local ceasefire, evacuees from Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday and were reunited with relatives at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. They told Agence France-Presse that some residents had to eat grass and dogs to survive. Valera, a 29-year-old former resident who did not give his surname, said people grew grass to cook because there was nothing else to eat. The truce was expected to last until Sunday evening.

Strike in Rostov region

Ukraine's general staff said its forces hit Kombinat Kamensky, a Russian state-owned chemical and defence enterprise that is a major missile fuel producer, in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky in the Rostov region overnight. Drones and the Neptune coastal missile system were used. The attack caused a fire and damaged four production facilities.