In brief: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev presented US First Lady Melania Trump with a child’s painting during the meeting at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 5, thanking her for her role in brokering the Oleshky ceasefire. At the same event, which brought Russian and Ukrainian officials together, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets awarded her the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, conferred by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decree on Monday, Nov. 2. Davyd Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction, credited the first lady with launching the initiative, calling the truce the largest since 2022.
Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev presented US First Lady Melania Trump with a child’s painting during a ceremony at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 5, in gratitude for her role in brokering a ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky.
The painting depicts a young girl who left Oleshky with her family for Russia and bears the inscription “I love Melania.”
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Speaking on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitriev praised the first lady’s humanitarian role in resolving the deteriorating situation in the occupied town, describing the mission as an effort to ensure “agreements become actions.”
“And actions save lives,” he continued.
The meeting brought Russian and Ukrainian officials together around a single agenda – the humanitarian mission in Oleshky – with Ukraine represented by human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and Davyd Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction in Ukraine’s parliament.
At the close of the meeting, the first lady entrusted Dmitriev and Arakhamia with personal letters she had written to Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The contents of the letters had not been disclosed at the time of the report.
34 children reportedly reunited with families
According to Dmitriev, 34 children have been reunited with their families in Ukraine and Russia.
Ukrainian authorities have not independently confirmed the figure at the time of the report.
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The figure, however, matches the cumulative total the first lady’s office reported in August for her child reunification initiative. It remains unclear whether Dmitriev was referring to the same count.
Dmitriev credited Russian and Ukrainian security and military services with a critical role in the operation and also acknowledged Marc Beckman, senior adviser to the first lady.
While many Oleshky residents chose to remain and others opted to leave, he said, humanitarian assistance to the town must continue.
Putin, he added, values US President Donald Trump’s peacemaking efforts.
First lady outlines her role
Melania said she learned of the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky in September of this year.
The town, located on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, roughly 5 kilometers (3 miles) southeast of Kherson city, has been under Russian occupation since the opening days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Before the ceasefire took effect, Oleshky residents had been cut off from clean drinking water, food and medicine since at least May 26. Some had attempted to evacuate on their own, crossing heavily mined terrain, while several Ukrainian officials, including Lubinets, warned that the town had become a “death trap.”
“Recognizing the urgency, I acted immediately,” Melania said. “I was involved in every stage of the planning,” she continued, explaining that she reviewed operational plans, assessed road conditions and weighed evacuation routes, hospital access, vehicles and medical resources.
Her communication with Moscow and Kyiv was described as extensive, detailed and highly cooperative, while she commended both sides for acting in good faith.
“For a brief period, Oleshky residents enjoyed relief from” the war, Melania stated, noting that some experienced simple moments of joy for the first time since 2022.
“Together, we can achieve something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire,” she added, extending her appreciation to Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova, who has previously been accused of trafficking unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.
Efforts started with Melania
Arakhamia opened his remarks by thanking the first lady, saying the initiative originated with her and her team. Initial skepticism, he said, has since given way to trust, and the work would only continue.
He also thanked Beckman personally, observing that securing a political agreement and implementing it are two distinct challenges.
Arakhamia described the truce as the largest since 2022, noting that residents of the Kherson region initially doubted it was real and remained in their homes.
“It is a very important initiative,” he said, expressing his sincere gratitude to Melania and his interest in joining future operations. He also thanked Americans who donated to affected families, noting that many pets were evacuated.
The American team was again urged to continue de-escalation efforts.
During the meeting, Melania was also presented with Ukraine’s highest state award, Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, for her humanitarian, human rights, and charitable work. The decree, No. 1079/2026, was initially signed by Zelensky and published on Monday, Nov. 2.
“Let Oleshky be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace,” Melania said, closing the meeting.
Zelensky: ‘When Putin wants the fighting to stop, it stops’
Speaking during the 30th Ibero-American Summit in Madrid separately on Thursday, Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine had completed the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, which Kyiv coordinated with the first lady.
“And this operation has proven a very simple thing: when Putin wants the fighting to stop, it stops. There was complete silence. No attacks. And we saved lives,” he said.
The same, he continued, holds for Ukrainians in Russian captivity and for children abducted by Russia. “When Putin wants it, they return home.”
The remarks appeared to be an implicit rebuke of Moscow, suggesting that Putin could halt the fighting at any time but has so far chosen not to.
On Oct. 29, the Kremlin said any progress in Ukraine peace talks hinges on the situation on the battlefield and rejected a European role in the negotiations.
How the truce began
The truce, which marked a rare instance of de-escalation in Russia’s fifth year of war, initially began clouded by confusion as Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced a “silence regime” along the Kherson front beginning Oct. 27 – two days earlier than the Oct. 29 date set by the White House.
Despite fears of possible sabotage that Moscow’s unilateral announcement widely raised, the ceasefire held with no reported incidents.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Melania, who mediated the agreement, announced that four journalists from the US conservative broadcaster Newsmax would be embedded with Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian officials in Oleshky.
The five day ceasefire formally ended on Sunday, Nov. 1.
The operation previously raised concerns among Ukrainian military personnel who warned that Russian forces may have used the pause in fighting to rotate troops and move equipment along roads previously exposed to Ukrainian fire.
Lubinets disputed reports of ceasefire violations, saying military equipment observed on the Russian side had been used exclusively for demining.
Before the truce was officially announced, Pope Leo XIV held a telephone discussion with Putin on Oct. 16, urging him to agree to an immediate ceasefire and allow the delivery of food and medical assistance to the city.
The pontiff then spoke to Zelensky on Monday, Oct. 19, reiterating his earlier request for a humanitarian ceasefire.
On Oct. 20, European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno declared a hunger strike in protest over the starvation of civilians in Oleshky.
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