Zelenskyy Awards Melania Trump for Brokering Oleshky Ceasefire

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, to Melania Trump on November 5, 2026, at the White House. The honor recognizes her role as an exclusive intermediary in brokering a six-day humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky from October 27 to November 1. The operation enabled the delivery of aid and the evacuation of nearly 800 civilians, including the reunion of 34 children with their families.

Melania Trump stated she was involved in every stage of planning, including reviewing evacuation routes and mining plans. The award ceremony was attended by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Ukrainian officials Davyd Arakhamia and Dmytro Lubinets. During the event, Arakhamia urged continued humanitarian cooperation to build momentum for lasting peace.

Following the ceremony, President Donald Trump met separately with Dmitriev, suggesting a broad agreement regarding European security is approaching. Simultaneously, Jared Kushner reported productive discussions in Brussels concerning security guarantees for Ukraine. These diplomatic efforts precede scheduled trilateral peace talks between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia, which will take place November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi.