Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a localized ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, to address a severe humanitarian crisis.
Both countries said on Friday, they had agreed on a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, brokered through US first lady Melania Trump, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said peace negotiators would meet next month for new talks.
According to military and human rights officials, the corridor will facilitate demining operations, food deliveries, and the evacuation of remaining civilians in a settlement where populations have dropped drastically since the start of the conflict.
The temporary halt in military action, coordinated with U.S. mediation, is scheduled to take effect at 4 a.m. local time on October 27.
Amid a U.S. push to organize new talks aimed at ending the 4-1/2-year-old war, Zelenskiy and U.S. officials informed, negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to technical-level meetings in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland.
As the localized agreement coincides with diplomatic preparations for fresh trilateral peace negotiations, Ukrainian leadership emphasized that any long-term diplomatic resolution will require robust security guarantees, even as parallel friction points—including regional energy logistics and communication infrastructure—continue to challenge diplomatic momentum.
Previous rounds of talks headed by the United States stalled in February with no significant progress towards ending the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Russia continues to demand Ukraine cede all of the eastern Donbas region, including territory Russia has not occupied militarily, while Kyiv rejects any notion of giving up land it currently holds.
As reported by Reuters, the latest peace efforts follow a rift between Washington and Kyiv in recent weeks and a series of moves by US President Donald Trump seen as favoring Russia.
A major source of friction was limitations placed on SpaceX’s Starlink communication system that Ukraine uses to protect against incoming attacks.
Trump said on Friday that if Ukraine still faced a problem with the system, he would straighten it out and, if necessary, speak about the matter to SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk.
Another contentious point was Trump’s announcement of a deal to allow Russia to provide diesel for the US and global markets, an agreement denounced by Ukraine and meant to keep prices down as the president’s Republicans contest US midterm elections.
On Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the first three tankers with Russian diesel were on their way to North America.
