Zelenskyy honours Melania Trump for Oleshky evacuation truce
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded US First Lady Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, 1st class, for brokering a six-day local ceasefire that let civilians leave Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in southern Ukraine. A presidential decree dated 2 Nov, published on Wednesday, cited her humanitarian work for Ukraine and her efforts on behalf of displaced Ukrainian children. The truce ended on Sunday, the longest local pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Nearly 800 people were evacuated during it.
Key facts
- The Order of Princess Olga honours women for exceptional contributions in science, education, culture and charitable work.
- Oleshky has 1,700 to 2,000 residents left, from a prewar population of 24,000, including about 50 children.
- Around 90% of Oleshky was flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.
- Four planes carrying Oleshky evacuees arrived in Belarus on Saturday, according to Belta and a senior Ukrainian official.
- Trump has said she will host representatives from Kyiv and Moscow in Washington.
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Why it matters
The award highlights a rare localised pause in fighting and efforts to evacuate civilians from occupied areas.
What changed
First published from The Straits Times, Anadolu Agency, The Times of India, The Independent and Asharq Al-Awsat