Local ceasefire agreed for occupied Oleshky to let aid in and civilians out; Ukraine, Russia and US plan November talks

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to halt all military operations in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region from 27 October to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and preparations for the evacuation of civilians, the White House said on Friday, 23 October, The Guardian reported. The humanitarian mission was brokered with the involvement of US first lady Melania Trump, AP reported.

Desperate conditions

Oleshky, on the left bank of the Dnipro, has been under Russian occupation since February 2022. An estimated 2,000 people remain there, with residents describing severe shortages of food, water and electricity; some have reportedly survived on weeds, boiled grass and meagre rations. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Kyiv’s chief negotiator, said the deal has three stages — a ceasefire, then aid, then evacuation of those who want to leave — and that mines will be cleared from the access routes first. His Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova said food, medicine and hygiene products would be delivered.

Peace talks

President Volodymyr Zelensky said negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US agreed to technical-level meetings in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, and that he hoped a leaders’ meeting would follow, according to The Guardian. Major disputes over territory and security guarantees remain.