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Russian and Ukrainian officials appeared side by side at the White House on Thursday as first lady Melania Trump brought representatives of the warring countries together following a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine that she helped broker.
The unusual gathering came after a six-day ceasefire in and around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region. The agreement allowed nearly 800 civilians to leave the area, according to the first lady's office.
Melania Trump told the gathering that she had served as an intermediary between the two countries in arranging the humanitarian ceasefire. In her remarks, she said she was involved in the planning for the operation and that agreements establishing her role had been signed by both sides.
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“We have chosen humanity over war,” Melania Trump said. “We must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people.”
Representing Ukraine was Davyd Arakhamia, who leads President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People faction in Ukraine's parliament. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets was also part of the delegation.
Russia was represented by Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, and Yana Lantratova, Russia's human rights commissioner. Dmitriev was also meeting with U.S. officials during his visit to Washington, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with his plans.
The appearance offered a rare image of senior representatives from Ukraine and Russia together at the White House as the war approaches the five-year mark.
Melania Trump urged the two countries to build on the Oleshky agreement and pursue something more lasting than the six-day truce. Ukrainian representatives also called for the first lady's humanitarian initiative to continue.
At the end of her remarks, Melania Trump revealed that she had written personal letters to both Putin and Zelensky and asked representatives of their governments to deliver them. She did not disclose their contents.
The meeting comes days before officials from the United States, Ukraine and Russia are expected to hold trilateral talks scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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