Melania or the pope: Who brokered the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire in Oleshky?

A localized ceasefire announced on October 23 in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s Kherson region, is intended to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuations for civilians who want to leave. Damaged by war and flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023, the town faces severe shortages of food, medicine and other supplies; the United States estimates its population at 1,700 to 2,000. The White House credits First Lady Melania Trump with mediating the truce, while the Vatican says the pope helped bring about the pause through calls with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The ceasefire is scheduled to end on Sunday and is not a comprehensive end to hostilities.