Donald Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Nearly five years later, the only ceasefire that’s actually holding was negotiated by his wife, Melania.
Nobody saw it coming last week when the White House announced that the first lady had secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town across the Dnipro River from Kherson. Both sides confirmed it took effect on Tuesday, and on Friday aid arrived and evacuations began.
Ukrainian officials call it one of the most significant pauses in fighting since the full-scale invasion. It didn’t come from the president’s envoys. It came from the president’s wife.
A city on the brink
Oleshky had 24,000 residents before the war. The White House estimates only 1,700 to 2,000 remain. Most are elderly.
Drones and land mines have trapped them, and food and medicine are running dangerously short.
How did Melania do it?
The White House says Melania Trump used a channel to Moscow and Kyiv that she built while working to return Ukrainian children taken by Russia. She and a representative worked directly with both governments on the terms.
The truce has three phases: mine clearance, aid delivery, then civilian evacuation. It runs until late on November 1. Russia says a Russian sapper and one other person were killed clearing the mines.
Who gets the credit?
Both sides are giving credit to her. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, offered her “special thanks.” Ukraine’s negotiator Davyd Arakhamia called it the largest de-escalation since 2022, and the Kremlin said no violations had been recorded.
Both sides also have reasons to make it work. Officials in both Kyiv and Moscow are eager to win Donald Trump’s approval as he pushes for a peace settlement. Melania’s adviser Marc Beckman even told the Kyiv Independent that Putin “wanted very much” for her to mediate. Flattering the president’s wife is a low-cost way to flatter the president.
Critics say the White House has overstated her role. Some accuse her of taking credit that belongs to Pope Leo, who raised Oleshky with both Putin and Zelensky the week before the deal.
Who is Melania Trump?
Melania Trump was born in Slovenia in 1970. She modelled in Paris and Milan before moving to New York in 1996, and married Donald Trump in 2005.
The Telegraph’s Hamish de Bretton-Gordon calls her an anomaly in the MAGA world: a naturalized American, and the first first lady whose native language isn’t English.
Oleshky isn’t her first success. By June 2026, Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative credited her with helping return more than 30 deported children.
Canada already has a role in this issue, too. Since 2024, Canada and Ukraine have co-chaired the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, the same issue that opened Melania’s channel.
Could Oleshky be a template?
None of this ends the war. Russia kept firing missiles at other Ukrainian cities while the truce held.
Evacuees were taken first to Russian-annexed Crimea, raising fears of forced transfer. De Bretton-Gordon also cites Ukrainian soldiers who report Russian troops and equipment moving near Kakhovka during the pause.
Still, small deals build the trust that big ones need. Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. have agreed to technical talks in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.
What’s remarkable about Oleshky is how unglamorous it is. It’s local, civilian-led and humanitarian. Canada should use its coalition role to push for more agreements like it, with independent monitors, so they can’t become cover for the next offensive.
So, should Canada make humanitarian ceasefires a diplomatic priority?
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Readers divided over trade deals with unsavoury countries
Last week’s poll really got readers thinking. Opinions were divided three ways, nearly perfectly.
In the wake of my recent articles about Canada’s growing trade deals with countries accused of human rights and weapons violations, I asked you, “Should Canada sign trade deals with Turkey and others with poor human rights records?”
One-in-three readers said, “Trade yes, but no defence deals” (30%). Another third also gave deals the green light, but “Only with human rights conditions” (32%). The final third opposed such deals unconditionally, answering, “No, that’s not the Canadian way” (30%). The remainder said “Yes, we need partners beyond USA” (3%) or “Don’t know/need more info” (5%).
It is probably low profile humanitarian efforts that will slowly turn the tide. Everyone is sick of the the violence and has expended their resources. There has never been a victory in modern war. It hopefully will peter out. I am positively touched that Melania bothered to get involved . There must be some non transactional humanitarian intention lingering in the MAGA world