Russia and Ukraine agree to local ceasefire in Oleshky amid deepening humanitarian crisis

The White House has said that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where a deepening humanitarian crisis has left thousands of civilians struggling to survive.

In a statement on Friday, the White House said both sides had agreed to halt all military operations in the city from 27 October to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and preparations for the evacuation of civilians.

Residents of the southern Ukrainian city, which has been under Russian occupation since February 2022, have described increasingly desperate conditions amid severe shortages of food, water and electricity. An estimated 2,000 people remain in the city, with some reportedly forced to survive on weeds, boiled grass, bread and meagre rations.

Both Russian and Ukrainian officials said all sides were close to agreeing to a ceasefire.

The White House statement said the ceasefire was brokered by Melania Trump, and her representative worked directly with ​Russian and Ukrainian ‌leadership to define the ​terms. “Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” the first lady said.

Despite the claim the ceasefire had been brokered by Melania Trump, there had already been protracted efforts to organise a humanitarian ceasefire, with claims by Ukrainian officials that it had been Russia that had rejected previous calls.

Calls for a ceasefire had been issued by Pope Leo XIV – who discussed the issue with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy – the United Nations, EU officials and the Council of Europe. As recently as 18 October, Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, had also said he thought agreement was close without any mention of the first lady’s involvement.

Ukraine has for weeks been pushing for a civilian evacuation from Oleshky and nearby settlements, at times using drones to airdrop emergency food and medical supplies into town.

Lubinets ⁠told Reuters on Friday that the mission to Oleshky would involve ⁠demining roads leading into the town, delivering food and evacuating civilians. “A sufficient ​quantity of ‌humanitarian ‌aid will be delivered to ‌meet the needs of everyone who requires it. What’s more, we are working to ensure ‌that this is not just a ​one-off event, and that it is not limited to Oleshky alone,” ⁠he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue to report widespread disruptions to the Starlink satellite network, despite Donald Trump’s claim that Elon Musk had lifted restrictions on the service.

The slowdown, which has affected the communications system used by Ukrainian troops, began last week after Trump and Elon Musk, the founder of Starlink, publicly criticised Zelenskyy over continued strikes on Russian oil refineries.

The restrictions have raised questions and confusion about who ordered the slowdown and why, with Trump and Musk denying responsibility. Asked about the Starlink slowdowns on Friday, Trump said he would speak to Musk if the restrictions remained in place.

“I’ve heard it was fixed, but if it’s not, I’ll speak to him,” he told reporters.

The British prime minister, Andy Burnham, “underlined the importance for Ukraine to have full access” to Starlink in a phone call with Trump on Friday, Downing Street said.

Ukrainian officials said throughout the day on Friday that speeds remained capped at about 100mph, with no indication that the restrictions had been lifted.

“At present, we have not observed any lifting of the restrictions on Starlink,” said Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert who advises Zelenskyy.

“There have been isolated cases in which Starlink has operated at speeds slightly above the imposed limits, but this is likely due to SpaceX’s algorithms or specific conditions of use, rather than any lifting of the restrictions,” Beskrestnov added.

The speed restrictions have prevented Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from maintaining a connection to the satellite network when travelling at high speeds, hampering offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks.

The slowing down of Starlink, coupled with Zelenskyy’s complaints that Washington had temporarily suspended intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, has plunged relations between Ukraine and the US to a new low in recent days.

Tensions first flared after Washington’s surprise decision to lift sanctions on Russia and begin importing Russian diesel, as Trump sought to bring down US energy prices before the midterm elections. Maritime tracking data showed that the first tanker carrying Russian diesel was en route to New York on Thursday, and on Friday the Russian deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, said three tankers were en route to the US and claimed Russian companies could supply 500,000 metric tonnes in October.

Meanwhile, Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukraine, even as Moscow said a fresh round of US-brokered talks aimed at ending the war could take place next month.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Friday that trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US were expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November. Previous rounds of negotiations have failed to produce a breakthrough, with Moscow and Kyiv far away over the terms of any peace settlement.

Among Russia’s maximalist demands are that Ukraine withdraw its forces from territory it still controls in the east of the country, drastically reduce the size of its military and adopt a neutral status that would rule out Nato membership.

Speaking to a Russian state television reporter late on Thursday, Putin once again questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty, echoing claims he has repeatedly made throughout the war. “The lands lost by Kyiv are not their territory, they are Russia’s historical lands,” Putin said.

The Russian president also cited unspecified genetic research to revive his longstanding claim that Russians and Ukrainians were “one people”, before insisting that Moscow would achieve all the objectives of its full-scale invasion.