Oct. 23 (UPI) — Russia and Ukraine on Friday agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the city of Oleshky, which is currently occupied by Russia, officials said.
The White House said in a statement that both sides agreed to halt hostilities in the southern Ukrainian city beginning on Oct. 27. The ceasefire is intended to allow for the evacuation of civilians and allow humanitarian aid to flow in.
Oleshky, in which about 2,000 people remain, has been under Russian occupation since February 2022. The city has been struggling with food and water shortages.
First lady Melania Trump’s office said she had helped broker the ceasefire.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire,” the first lady said in a statement shared with CBS News. “Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”
Ukrainian officials on Friday said the country continues to experience issues of slow transmission speeds of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications systems.
President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk insisted restrictions had been lifted.
“Bottom line, he put it back,” Trump said.