Arakhamiia thanked Melania Trump for her support of Ukraine
Meetings at the White House. Screenshot: video broadcastDavyd Arakhamiia, leader of the «Servant of the People» parliamentary group, thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for her support for the humanitarian mission in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region and called for such initiatives to continue.
This emerged from the broadcast of the meeting at the White House.
He noted that during the operation, people in the Kherson region and in Oleshky were able to go out onto the streets, visit their damaged homes and collect their belongings.
«In the Kherson region and in Oleshky, people were able to go out onto the streets. They visited their damaged homes and were able to collect their belongings. We saw how the ceasefire mechanism works and how we can ensure it,» said Davyd Arakhamiia.
He thanked the First Lady of the United States for her support and initiative, and asked her to continue working in this direction and to organise further humanitarian missions.
«Your mission transcends politics,» he noted.
For her part, Melania Trump described the humanitarian mission in Oleshky as the start of the ceasefire process in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to her, on 23 October, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement «in two languages». She did not disclose the details of the document, but noted that it concerned the humanitarian mission in Oleshky. She also pointed out that nearly 900 people had received medical assistance.
«Russia and Ukraine have chosen me as a mediator for the ceasefire in Oleshky and the Kherson region. Our shared aim is to provide humanitarian aid to the residents of Oleshky and to help civilians evacuate,» said the First Lady.
The US First Lady explained that she began working on the humanitarian mission in September 2026. To organise it, she utilised the channels of communication previously used to secure the return of Ukrainian children who had been illegally taken to Russia, and also liaised with representatives from both countries. Melania Trump stated that she was involved at every stage of the operation’s preparation.
«We supported both nations so that they could establish a ceasefire in Oleshky. We worked at every stage with the Russian and Ukrainian teams right up to the very end. I commend both sides for their efforts in carrying out this ceasefire operation,» she said.
Meetings at the White House. Screenshot: video broadcastDmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights, together with Davyd Arakhamiia, presented Melania Trump with the Order of Princess Olga, First Class. The decree awarding the honour had previously been signed by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
«We ask you to continue your extraordinary work and to support our people,» said Dmytro Lubinets.
How residents of the occupied Oleshky were evacuated
During a humanitarian operation, the Defence Forces evacuated 167 people from the right bank of the Kherson region. According to the General Staff, people were transported via mined and damaged roads.
The last plane carrying residents of the occupied town of Oleshky arrived in Belarus on 31 October. From there, those who decided to return to Ukraine travelled to government-controlled territory and crossed the border in the Chernihiv region.
The oldest person evacuated was 94 years old, and the youngest was just over a year old. People also took their pets with them, including dogs, cats, a parrot and a raccoon.
It later emerged that a direct route from the occupied town of Oleshky to Kherson via the Dnipro River had not been considered, as this could have weakened Ukrainian defences. The military were categorically opposed to this option and warned against demining the area.
In addition, it was reported that a ceasefire lasting more than five days had allowed for the repatriation of the bodies of those killed in Oleshky. Among them were Ukrainian military personnel and civilians.