Melania Trump Receives Ukraine Top Honor for Oleshky Ceasefire Role
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the Order of Princess Olha to the US first lady for her role in evacuating civilians from a flooded, occupied city.
By Ana Castro ·
Melania Trump received the Order of Princess Olha, 1st Class, Ukraine's highest state honor for women, on Wednesday. The award was granted via a presidential decree signed by Volodymyr Zelensky on November 2. The citation acknowledged her personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine, focusing on her work for displaced children and civilians.
The first lady helped negotiate a temporary ceasefire in Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city currently under Russian occupation. This arrangement allowed for the evacuation of hundreds of residents and the delivery of aid. On Saturday, four planes carrying evacuees from Oleshky landed in Belarus, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta and a senior Ukrainian official.
The city's population has dropped sharply due to the war and the flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Pre-war records show Oleshky had 24,000 residents. Current estimates place the remaining population between 1,700 and 2,000 people. This group includes approximately 50 children and mostly elderly residents who lack the means to leave.
The White House stated that Trump independently initiated engagement between the two nations and secured the ceasefire. Officials in Moscow and Kyiv have both thanked her for the arrangement, though they have not fully detailed her specific actions. The White House described the effort as a diplomatic initiative by an American first lady.
Russian and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet at the White House on Thursday at Trump's invitation. The Ukrainian delegation will include human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia. The Russian side will be represented by Yana Lantratova and Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin-linked businessman and presidential envoy.
Dmitriev and Arakhamia have previously participated in high-level negotiations and unofficial communications between Washington and Moscow. Their presence in a meeting organized by the US first lady marks a distinct diplomatic development. This activity occurs as international bodies continue to examine the treatment of Ukrainian children.
A UN commission of inquiry determined in March that Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children constitutes crimes against humanity. Ukrainian authorities estimate that nearly 20,000 children have been illegally transferred to Russia or Belarus since the invasion began in February 2022. Separately, US envoy Steve Witkoff announced that another round of peace talks will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11.
