Melania Trump handed Putin and Zelensky personal letters after the ceasefire in Alyoshky

Meeting at the White House

On November 5 at the White House, US First Lady Melania Trump met with representatives of Russia and Ukraine and expressed hope that the six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Alyoshky would become a step toward a “more durable peace.” According to her, with US involvement the parties can achieve a result that lasts longer than “such a brief cessation of hostilities” — these words were reported by the AFP agency (Kun.uz, DW).

Personal letters and gifts

Trump separately noted the role of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky: without them, in her view, the ceasefire in Alyoshky would have been impossible, and their cooperation “sets an important example of advancing peace in the region.” She said she had written personal letters to both leaders and handed them over through the representatives of the two countries. During the meeting, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets presented the First Lady with the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, with which Zelensky had awarded her the day before, while Special Representative of the Russian President Kirill Dmitriev gave her a framed, glass-covered drawing by a girl from Alyoshky.

Delegation composition and duration of the ceasefire

From Moscow, the meeting was attended by Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lanratova and presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev; from Kyiv — ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia. The ceasefire in Alyoshky and adjacent areas was in effect from early morning on October 27 until the evening of November 1; it was the result of negotiations involving Melania Trump, and both Moscow and Kyiv call her a key mediator in arranging it.