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The White House is hosting a meeting between US First Lady Melania Trump and representatives of Russia and Ukraine. They plan to discuss the results of the recent joint humanitarian mission in the Russian-occupied city of Aleshki (Ukrainian name - Oleshki) in the Kherson region. At the end of October, through the mediation of Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the parties agreed on a temporary ceasefire to allow the evacuation of civilians. This was the first joint humanitarian mission between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Russia at the meeting with the First Lady is represented by Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova and Special Envoy of the Russian President Kirill Dmitriev. Both have been under US sanctions since 2022.
Even the day before, the trip of the Russian delegation was in doubt due to the lack of American visas for some members of Lantratova’s team. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that she would go to Washington if “the logistics work out.” On Thursday he confirmed that the visa issue had been resolved.
On the Ukrainian side, the meeting with Melania Trump is attended by the head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia, and the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmitry Lubinets.
The White House announced the meeting on November 3. According to a message on his official website, Melania Trump is scheduled to make a statement on the results of the humanitarian mission in Aleshki.
On November 2, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky awarded the First Lady of the United States the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, Ukraine’s highest state award, reserved exclusively for women.
As stated in the decree, Melania Trump was awarded “for her significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine, active human rights and charitable activities aimed at saving Ukrainian children, citizens who suffered as a result of Russian aggression, illegally deported and forcibly displaced from the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.”
Special Senior Advisor to the First Lady of the United States Mark Beckman also received the Ukrainian insignia - “Golden Heart”.
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Photo by Yevhen Kotenko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
According to Reuters sources, Russian Presidential Special Envoy Dmitriev will first take part in an event at the White House organized by Melania Trump, and then meet with representatives of the US administration.
As the agency's interlocutor noted, Dmitriev took part in facilitating the release of American prisoners, the return of Ukrainian children to their families and conducting a humanitarian operation in Aleshki, and Russia and the United States are interested in continuing these humanitarian efforts.
The meeting at the White House comes ahead of trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine, scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi.
Mission in Aleshki
At the end of October, Russia and Ukraine, through the mediation of Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV, agreed on a local ceasefire in the occupied Alyoshki, Kherson region, in order to evacuate civilians.
The ceasefire came into force on October 27 at 03:00 Kyiv time (04:00 Moscow time) and was valid until the end of November 1.
In the first days, the Russian military cleared the roads. According to Lantratova, two people died during this work, including one sapper.
Photo copyright, Sergei Malgavko/TASS
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On October 29, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in the Belarusian Gomel, from where they went to Aleshki. Judging by the short videos published, in the city of Lubinets and Lantratova they interacted with local residents.
Residents were evacuated both to Ukrainian-controlled territory and to Russia, depending on their wishes. Those who decided to go to territory controlled by Kyiv were taken out through Anapa in the Krasnodar Territory and Belarusian Gomel. The rest left for Russia through the annexed Crimea.
The exact number of evacuees is unknown. According to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets, the parties agreed in advance not to disclose this data. His Russian colleague only said that “much less than 750 people” were taken from Aleshki.
Lantratova previously stated that 25 buses with 750 seats had been prepared for the evacuation. Lubinets and Melania Trump mentioned the same numbers. From the post of the wife of the US President on the social network X, it followed that more than 750 people voluntarily decided to leave Alyoshki.
For residents remaining in the city, which is constantly under shelling, “several tens of tons of humanitarian aid were delivered - food, hygiene products, fuel for generators,” Lantratova said.
How many people remain in the city in the “kill zone” is unknown.
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