Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt military action in Oleshky for aid deliveries and civilian evacuations. The humanitarian pause comes as Washington pursues renewed negotiations to end the war. Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations, with the truce set to begin on October 27. The agreement, brokered with the involvement of US First Lady Melania Trump, comes as Washington pushes for fresh negotiations to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to hold technical-level talks in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. A US official later said the next meeting could take place in the coming weeks in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland.

Zelenskyy said he hoped the discussions would pave the way for a meeting between the countries' leaders. However, previous rounds of US-led negotiations stalled in February without significant progress, as Moscow continued to demand that Kyiv surrender the entire eastern Donbas region, including areas Russia has not captured. Ukraine has rejected giving up territory it still controls.

The latest diplomatic push follows weeks of friction between Washington and Kyiv, including disagreements over Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite communications system and US President Donald Trump's decision to allow Russian diesel supplies to reach American and global markets.

OLESHKY CEASEFIRE TO ALLOW AID AND EVACUATIONS Oleshky, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, has been facing a worsening humanitarian crisis, with residents reporting severe food shortages. The town lies across the Dnipro River from the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson.

“Both nations agreed to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway,” the White House said in a statement.

Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov said Russian troops would halt fire from 4 am local time (0100 GMT) on October 27 to facilitate the operation. Ukraine's General Staff issued a statement agreeing to observe the ceasefire from the same time and pledged to “do everything possible to help Oleshky's residents.”Ukraine has previously used drones twice to deliver food to the town, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, told Reuters that the operation would include demining roads leading to Oleshky, delivering food and evacuating civilians.

The White House estimated that between 1,700 and 2,000 people remained in the town, down from around 24,000 before the war.

MELANIA TRUMP'S ROLE IN HUMANITARIAN AGREEMENT Both Russia and Ukraine acknowledged Melania Trump's role in coordinating the ceasefire arrangement. The US first lady has previously worked to secure the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.

“Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” she said in a statement.

“Oleshky's remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food and clean water.”Pope Leo had also spoken with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the past week about conditions in the town.

ZELENSKYY SEEKS SECURITY GUARANTEES IN PEACE DEAL Zelenskyy's announcement of fresh negotiations followed a meeting with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in Norway earlier this week and a subsequent meeting between Witkoff and Putin in St Petersburg.

Zelenskyy said he spoke on Friday with Witkoff and US envoy Jared Kushner. He stressed that any peace agreement must provide Ukraine with robust security guarantees and funding for 10 years to maintain its armed forces.

“The plan is to meet in the first half of November, and as early as possible, of course,” Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute think tank via video link.

He said progress would depend largely on Russia, noting that a similar meeting expected to take place this month had not materialised. Zelenskyy also called for Europe to be involved in the diplomatic process.

STARLINK RESTRICTIONS REMAIN A POINT OF FRICTION Disagreements over Starlink, the satellite communications service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, have added to tensions between Washington and Kyiv. Ukraine relies on the system for military communications and to help counter Russian attacks.

Ukrainian officials said on Friday that speed restrictions on Starlink systems in the country remained in place, despite Trump's earlier statement that services had been fully restored. Trump said he had not spoken to Musk about the restrictions but would intervene if necessary. “If there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out,” Trump told reporters at the White House. The restrictions have been in place since October 13.

Another source of friction has been Trump's announcement of a deal allowing Russia to supply diesel to the US and global markets. Ukraine has criticised the arrangement, which Washington has presented as a way to contain fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that the first three tankers carrying Russian diesel were heading towards North America.

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE EXCHANGE 540 PRISONERS Separately, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 270 servicemen each on Friday, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. It was the first prisoner exchange between the two sides since August. Zelenskyy described the swap as a “very important result”.

Ukraine's acting prosecutor, Anton Kovalskyi, said on Telegram that more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, had been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago.