Russian, Ukrainian Officials Appear Side by Side at WH With Melania Trump - Newsweek

Russian and Ukrainian officials appeared side by side at the White House on Thursday as first lady Melania Trump brought representatives of the warring countries together following a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine that she helped broker.

The unusual gathering came after a six-day ceasefire in and around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region. The truce, which ran from October 27 to November 1, allowed residents to evacuate to Ukrainian- or Russian-controlled territory or remain in Oleshky with replenished food and medical supplies. Melania Trump said the humanitarian operation was able to evacuate more than 750 people. Ukrainian authorities have not disclosed their own evacuation total.

The ceasefire was limited to Oleshky and the humanitarian operation around it, while fighting continued elsewhere in Ukraine, including Russian strikes and Ukrainian drone attacks.

Newsweek contacted the White House, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington and the Russian Embassy in Washington for additional comment.

Melania Trump told the gathering that she served as an intermediary between the two countries in arranging the humanitarian ceasefire. In her remarks, she said she was involved in the planning for the operation and that agreements establishing her role had been signed by both sides.

The six-day ceasefire amounted to the most significant truce since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

“We have chosen humanity over war,” Melania Trump said. “We must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people.”

Representing Ukraine was Davyd Arakhamia, who leads Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People faction in Ukraine's parliament. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets was also part of the delegation. Both addressed the gathering.

The meeting came days after Zelensky awarded Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, Ukraine's highest degree of the honor, citing her humanitarian support for the country.

Russia was represented by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy, and Yana Lantratova, Russia's human rights commissioner. Dmitriev was also meeting with U.S. officials during his visit to Washington, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with his plans.

Speaking at the first lady's invitation, Dmitriev thanked her for her “distinguished humanitarian role” in securing the ceasefire and said Putin had personally issued instructions as part of the operation and sent his thanks to Melania Trump. President Donald Trump did not appear at the event.

The appearance offered a rare image of senior representatives from Ukraine and Russia together at the White House as the war approaches the five-year mark.

The show of cooperation came days after Ukraine's military accused Russia of using the humanitarian pause to rotate fresh troops into the area, strengthen its positions and deliver additional ammunition. Neither side reported a violation of the localized ceasefire, and Newsweek was unable to independently verify the Ukrainian military's claims.

Melania Trump urged the two countries to build on the Oleshky agreement and pursue something more lasting than the six-day truce. Ukrainian representatives also called for the first lady's humanitarian initiative to continue.

Zelensky said this week that he would welcome further ceasefires brokered with Melania Trump's involvement, telling Fox News: “If the first lady can do it, can continue, it's very helpful.” The Kremlin sounded more cautious, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying Monday that there were “no similar plans at this time” for another humanitarian operation.

“What matters is not the modesty of this beginning but the determination to turn it into something extraordinary,” Melania Trump said.

At the end of her remarks, Melania Trump revealed that she had written letters to Putin and Zelensky and asked representatives of their governments to deliver them. She did not disclose their contents.

The meeting came days before officials from the United States, Ukraine and Russia are expected to hold trilateral talks on November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi, capital of United Arab Emirates.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Steve Mollman and Dave Siminoff.