First lady Melania Trump told the New York Post on Saturday in Palm Beach that she may make a personal trip to Ukraine to see a localized ceasefire she says she brokered between Russia and Ukraine. Asked whether she would go to the country, she said, "We will see." President Trump added, "It could happen." The couple spoke after casting ballots in early voting for the midterm election.
For the first time she addressed the ceasefire for Oleshky, which she said is facing starvation. She said she spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "We talked. We signed the agreement," she said. President Trump, who has been seeking a longer ceasefire between the two countries, said she was doing better than envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. "She does better than our professionals," he said, and he did not rule out sending her into the negotiations. "She got a ceasefire. This has to do with children and people, elderly people," he said.
Oleshky, in the Kherson region, is about five miles behind the front lines. The city of about 2,000 residents consists mostly of elderly people and children and is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, with residents reduced to eating grass. On Friday she announced a localized ceasefire so the population can be evacuated and humanitarian aid delivered. She thanked Pope Leo XIV and said, "It is great to have Pope's support, and they are starting a ceasefire on Oct. 27, and I hope everything goes as it's planned."
Questions arose on Saturday about the pontiff's role after it emerged that he contacted Putin on Oct. 16 and spoke to Zelensky three days later, a few days before she said the deal was secured. Democrats accused her of taking the pope's credit. Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed her role: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised her involvement, as did Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. Pope Leo has been critical of the Trump administration. Melania Trump has also worked on humanitarian issues tied to the war, including helping reunite 34 Russian and Ukrainian children with their families.