Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
After negotiating a humaniatrian truce in an occupied Ukrainian city, the first lady is now taking the next step in her diplomatic efforts.
Washington has spent months routing its Ukraine diplomacy through special envoys, generals and foreign capitals.
On Thursday morning, the setting changes, and so does the host.
The White House announced on November 3 that First Lady Melania Trump will convene Russian and Ukrainian representatives on Thursday, November 5, at 11:00 ET. She is scheduled to deliver remarks on the recent ceasefire around Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region and to meet with delegates from both sides.
The statement said Mrs. Trump “independently initiated engagement between the two warring nations” and called the event “an extraordinary moment in American history.”
From a five-day truce to a joint meeting
The Thursday gathering follows a localized ceasefire that ran from October 27 through November 1 around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
Ukraine’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, announced the end of the pause on November 1, saying the halt “was in effect from 27 October to 1 November.”
The window allowed humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations, with the oldest evacuee aged 94 and the youngest just over one year old.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukraine’s delegation at the White House is expected to include Lubinets and David Arakhamia, leader of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s parliamentary faction.
Russia is expected to send Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev and its human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova.
Kremlin plays down advance knowledge
Moscow’s public posture ahead of the meeting has been muted. Asked about the White House plan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he knew nothing about the event, Meduza reported: “I don’t know anything about this. I have no information about it.”
The outlet also noted that French daily Le Monde had reported Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services coordinated much of the Oleshky operation, even though the humanitarian corridor was publicly presented as the fruit of Mrs. Trump’s mediation.
A prelude to Abu Dhabi
The White House meeting lands five days before a separate, higher-stakes round of diplomacy. US special envoy Steve Witkoff has said Washington will mediate working-level Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, with Witkoff and Jared Kushner leading the US side. The Kremlin has named Vladimir Medinsky to head its delegation.
Analysts quoted by RFE/RL cautioned against expecting a breakthrough in the Gulf, pointing to the distance between Moscow and Kyiv’s positions on security guarantees and territorial questions.
For now, the next public step is the 11:00 ET event in Washington on Thursday, where Mrs. Trump is set to speak and the two delegations are expected to appear together.
