Poland

Warsaw, October 24, 2026. On Friday, October 23, the White House announced that Melania Trump had obtained a ceasefire from Russia and Ukraine in Olechky, a city in the Kherson region occupied by Russian forces since February 2022. RMF24 makes it its headline, "Melania Trump in the leading role," and recalls that the First Lady was until now known for her action in favor of the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia.

The Polish press focuses on the situation of the inhabitants. According to RMF24 and Dziennik.pl, the city is located about 4 km from Kherson, on the left bank of the Dnieper, and around 2,000 people live there, including 50 children, without sufficient access to food or water. The roads are mined and Russian drones operate permanently, making any departure complicated. RMF24 also recalls that the city was flooded in June 2023 after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.

The mechanism described by Rzeczpospolita is based on Russian and Ukrainian civilian representatives who will visit the inhabitants at their homes, assess their needs, and organize aid. Those who want to leave will receive transportation to their chosen destination, Russia or Ukraine. Melania Trump says she "expects" some to go one way, others the other, and announces the presence of a team of journalists from an American "impartial" media outlet to document the operation.

Rzeczpospolita also quotes Ukrainian mediator Dmytro Loubinets, who confirmed the agreement in a video on Telegram and thanked Melania Trump. He distinguishes three aspects: truce, humanitarian aid, and freedom of movement for civilians, and asks for patience: the operation will be progressive and "extremely complicated." The newspaper recalls that Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov had already assured that the Russian army was doing everything to resolve the supply problem.

The reservations concern the lack of clarity. The newspapers note that the statement does not say how long the truce will last or how its respect will be monitored, and Dziennik.pl points out that there was no official confirmation from the two belligerents at the time of the first announcement. Rzeczpospolita mentions in parallel a request from Pope Leon XIV for humanitarian support for Olechky, to which Vladimir Putin would have responded favorably, a sign that the initiative is part of several simultaneous approaches.