A first for a first lady
First Lady Melania Trump will bring representatives of Russia and Ukraine together at the White House on Thursday, an event the White House described as unprecedented for an American first lady. Mrs Trump is due to speak about the ceasefire in Oleshky at 11:00 am ET.
The White House said she initiated contact between the two governments herself and secured a local ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding part of the Kherson region. The arrangement covers one stretch of the front line and does not apply to the rest of the war.
Talks while the war continues
The meeting takes place against heavy fighting elsewhere. Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday that the death toll from a Russian guided-bomb attack on a school used as an aid centre in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, had risen to 40. Four police officers were among the dead. Rescue teams recovered bodies from an underground shelter in the school grounds after a strike that officials described as a double tap, with a second hit aimed at rescuers.
Moscow has not commented on the Oleshky arrangement in detail. Ukrainian officials say they welcome any channel that produces results for civilians but insist that local truces cannot replace a full settlement.
What the meeting can produce
The White House framed the session as part of Mrs Trump's work on children affected by the war. She has previously helped arrange several reunifications of Ukrainian children with relatives.
Officials from both delegations are expected to discuss further exchanges and the practical details of the Oleshky truce, including who monitors it and how violations are reported. Aid groups say any pause in fighting lets repairs reach water and heating systems before winter.
Diplomats in Washington said the value of the meeting lies in keeping a channel open at a moment when higher-level talks have stalled. They cautioned that one regional ceasefire is far from a broader deal, and that the two sides remain far apart on territory, security guarantees and sanctions.