The White House has announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians facing worsening living conditions.
In a statement issued on Friday, the White House said the truce would take effect on October 27, 2026, allowing humanitarian organisations to deliver essential supplies and prepare for the evacuation of residents trapped in the southern Ukrainian city.
Oleshky has remained under Russian occupation since February 2022, with thousands of civilians reportedly struggling to access basic necessities, including food, clean water and electricity.
According to reports, approximately 2,000 people remain in the city, where some residents have been forced to survive on weeds, boiled grass, bread and limited food rations as the humanitarian situation deteriorates.
Russian and Ukrainian officials have indicated that an agreement to halt fighting and facilitate humanitarian operations was nearing completion.
The White House said the ceasefire arrangement was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, whose representative reportedly worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to establish the terms of the agreement.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” Melania Trump said.
However, efforts to secure a humanitarian truce had been ongoing for weeks, with Ukrainian officials previously accusing Russia of rejecting earlier proposals to facilitate civilian evacuations.
International leaders and organisations, including Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, European Union officials and the Council of Europe, had called for measures to protect civilians and allow humanitarian assistance into the affected areas.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, had also indicated on October 18 that an agreement was close, although he did not mention Melania Trump’s involvement at the time.
Ukraine has repeatedly sought to evacuate civilians from Oleshky and neighbouring settlements, with emergency food and medical supplies occasionally delivered by drones because of the difficult security situation.
Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Lubinets said the planned operation would involve clearing mines from roads leading into the city, delivering humanitarian assistance and evacuating civilians.
“A sufficient quantity of humanitarian aid will be delivered to meet the needs of everyone who requires it. What’s more, we are working to ensure that this is not just a one-off event, and that it is not limited to Oleshky alone,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continued reporting disruptions to the Starlink satellite communications network, despite US President Donald Trump’s assertion that restrictions on the service had been lifted.
The reported slowdown, which began the previous week, has affected a communications system relied upon by Ukrainian troops for battlefield coordination and drone operations.
The disruption followed public criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by Trump and Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, over Ukraine’s continued attacks on Russian oil refineries.
The restrictions have sparked uncertainty over who authorised the changes and the reasons behind them, with both Trump and Musk denying responsibility.
Asked about the issue on Friday, Trump said he would contact Musk if the restrictions remained in place.
“I’ve heard it was fixed, but if it’s not, I’ll speak to him,” Trump told reporters.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also raised the issue during a telephone conversation with Trump, with Downing Street saying he had “underlined the importance for Ukraine to have full access” to Starlink.
However, Ukrainian officials said the restrictions remained in effect, with network speeds reportedly capped at approximately 100 miles per hour.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a military technology expert advising Zelenskyy, said there was no clear evidence that the restrictions had been lifted.
“At present, we have not observed any lifting of the restrictions on Starlink,” Beskrestnov said.
He added that isolated instances of the network operating above the imposed limits could be attributed to SpaceX algorithms or specific operating conditions rather than a formal removal of the restrictions.
The speed limitations have reportedly affected Ukrainian military equipment, including drones that require reliable satellite connections while travelling at high speeds. The disruptions have complicated offensive drone missions and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks.
The Starlink dispute, combined with Zelenskyy’s earlier complaints that Washington had temporarily suspended intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, has further strained relations between the United States and Ukraine.
Relations between Washington and Kyiv have also been affected by US decisions concerning Russian energy supplies.
Tensions intensified after the Trump administration moved to ease sanctions on Russia and resume imports of Russian diesel, in a move reportedly aimed at lowering US energy prices ahead of the midterm elections.
Maritime tracking data indicated that the first tanker carrying Russian diesel was heading towards New York on Thursday.
On Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said three tankers were bound for the United States. He also claimed Russian companies could supply approximately 500,000 metric tonnes of diesel in October.
The developments have raised concerns about Washington’s approach to Moscow as diplomatic efforts to end the war continue.
Despite indications that diplomatic negotiations could resume, Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukraine, underscoring the continuing intensity of the conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States were expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November.
Previous rounds of negotiations have failed to produce a breakthrough, with Moscow and Kyiv remaining sharply divided over the conditions for a lasting peace agreement.
Russia has maintained several demands, including Ukraine’s withdrawal from territories in eastern Ukraine that remain under Kyiv’s control, a substantial reduction in the size of its military and a neutral status that would prevent it from joining NATO.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also renewed his claims challenging Ukraine’s sovereignty during remarks to a Russian state television reporter late Thursday.
“The lands lost by Kyiv are not their territory, they are Russia’s historical lands,” Putin said.
Putin further repeated his longstanding assertion that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people”, citing unspecified genetic research in support of the claim.
He also insisted that Russia would achieve all the objectives of its full-scale invasion, signalling that Moscow’s position on the conflict remains firm despite renewed efforts to negotiate an end to the war.
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