Trump Humiliated as Melania Beats Him to Broker Russia Ceasefire
The first lady stepped in to strike a peace deal in Ukraine.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Move over Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff; First Lady Melania Trump is taking credit for brokering a “localized” peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The first lady’s office announced that she has secured a ceasefire in Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine that has been occupied by Russia since 2022.
Both sides have agreed to temporarily halt all military action there to allow humanitarian aid into the area and let people evacuate safely through a designated passageway.
The deal comes as the president and top administration officials have been working to lock in a broader peace deal between the two countries that have been at war since Russia invaded Ukraine more than four and a half years ago.
First lady Melania Trump, picturd with President Donald Trump on October 19, beat her husband to the punch with her own localized ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia.
Umit Bektas/Umit Bektas/Reuters
Trump has long argued that he initially thought the conflict would be easy to resolve, but so far it has proven beyond him.
On Friday, he admitted that without his wife’s intervention, “the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”
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The ceasefire there is set to begin in six days on October 29, according to the White House.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the localized ceasefire deal while speaking to reporters, Reuters reported, but he indicated that Russian and Ukrainian militaries were working to determine the specific dates.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” the first lady said in a statement on Friday. “Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.”
This marks the first ceasefire deal brokered by the first lady, who has played an active role in family reunifications since Trump returned to office at the start of last year.
According to her office, Trump and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to determine the terms of the Oleshky ceasefire, and the first lady initiated the discussions.
The administration touted the first lady’s former role as “Exclusive Intermediary,” in which she worked to align the parties on “the agreement’s objectives, technical procedures, timing, processes, and terms.”
Melania said she had secured an “impartial American media organization” to accompany and document the Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground throughout the process, but she did not reveal which news organization it would be.
“This will play a significant role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected,” the first lady said.
The Daily Beast asked the first lady’s office for more information on the coverage. Far-right media organization Newsmax reported it secured the exclusive access.
It comes as top Trump officials have been making a series of overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin as they try to negotiate a broader peace deal.
So far, an agreement has remained elusive despite the president’s repeated insistence that he was closing in on a deal to end the war in Ukraine since he returned to office more than 18 months ago and promised he would end it quickly on the 2024 campaign trail.
On Wednesday, Trump’s top negotiator Witkoff lauded Putin as a “humanitarian” during a visit to Russia. His praise of the Russian dictator who started the brutal war sparked backlash from Republican lawmakers.
At that meeting, Putin asked Witkoff to pass along his “gratitude” to the first lady for her work to reunite Ukrainian children with their families and her engagement to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky, a Russian aide told reporters, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
Meanwhile, the president also waived sanctions on Russia last week. He has also invited the Russian president to his Doral golf club in Florida for the G20 summit in December.
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