Russia, Ukraine agree Oleshky ceasefire to evacuate civilians

Russia and Ukraine have agreed a local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians, officials on both sides confirmed.

Ukraine's General Staff said the ceasefire would begin at 3am Kyiv time on 27 October, according to La Razón. The White House had earlier said the truce would start on 29 October, allowing aid into the city and the evacuation of elderly residents.

The White House credited US First Lady Melania Trump with securing the agreement after she contacted both Moscow and Kyiv; President Donald Trump said she had persuaded both sides to cooperate and was working to protect children, according to The Independent.

The Vatican said Pope Leo XIV had separately contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin on 16 October and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky three days later, urging a ceasefire to let food and medical supplies reach Oleshky; the Kremlin confirmed Putin's call with the pope. Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin credited the pope with initiating the ceasefire effort, and Ukrainian official Davyd Arakhamia said the agreement resulted from a longer process involving both Melania Trump and the pope.

European Parliament vice-president Pina Picierno ended a hunger strike she had begun on 20 October to draw attention to conditions in Oleshky, after Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets briefed her on the ceasefire agreement, according to NV.ua. Picierno had said thousands of people were trapped in the city without food or medicine, and that land mines made escape dangerous.

Lubinets said the humanitarian operation would be carried out in stages, involving the ceasefire itself, aid deliveries and ensuring civilians could leave freely. The Kremlin said coordinating the ceasefire and evacuation could take several days. New Russia-Ukraine peace talks are separately planned for next month, according to the Moscow Times.