Putin Envoy Praises Melania Trump at Historic White House Ceasefire Event

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev thanked U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for her role in securing a temporary ceasefire in a Russian-occupied Ukrainian town.

He did so during an unusual public appearance at the White House on Thursday.

Speaking at an event hosted by the first lady, Dmitriev conveyed Russian President Vladimir Putin's gratitude for her "distinguished humanitarian role" in brokering the ceasefire in the front-line town of Oleshky.

The truce lasted from Tuesday until Sunday evening last week.

Both Russia and Ukraine repeatedly thanked Trump for her efforts to evacuate people stranded in Oleshky, where food and medical supplies had grown scarce.

Dmitriev, a close Putin ally, previously held talks with US officials at the White House in April 2025.

Those meetings took place behind closed doors.

According to US media reports, this was the first time he had spoken at an officially announced White House event.

It also appeared to be the first time Russian and Ukrainian representatives had met in person at the White House.

Ukrainian representatives were also invited.

They included David Arakhamia, parliamentary leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky's party, and human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.

Arakhamia also thanked the first lady and urged her to pursue further diplomatic initiatives.

Trump announced that she had written letters to both Putin and Zelensky.

She asked the Russian and Ukrainian representatives to deliver them.

She did not disclose their contents.

Ukrainian and Russian officials stood side by side at the first lady's White House event on Nov. 5 to mark the success of the Oleshky humanitarian operation.

Only Kyiv's delegation called for more such efforts.

The first lady helped broker a localized ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia that lasted from Oct. 27 until Nov. 1.

It allowed civilians wishing to leave Russian-occupied Oleshky, in Ukraine's southern Kherson Oblast, to evacuate.

The Ukrainian delegation at the White House included Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and David Arakhamia, the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's parliamentary group.

Representing Russia were Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Yana Lantratova, the country's commissioner for human rights.

The first lady praised what she called both countries' "shared commitment" to achieving a ceasefire and their "good faith efforts."

"Let Oleshky be the modest spark that grows into a flame of lasting peace," Melania Trump said in her remarks.

She presented personal letters to be delivered to President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

She did not specify the contents of the letters.

The humanitarian crisis in Oleshky, which has been under Russian occupation since 2022, worsened in mid-2026.

Oleshky residents faced severe shortages of food, drinking water, electricity, and medical supplies.