The meeting follows a humanitarian ceasefire in Alyoshki coordinated with the involvement of the US first lady
Representatives of Russia and Ukraine are meeting at the White House in Washington, DC for talks hosted by First Lady Melania Trump.
The meeting follows a temporary humanitarian ceasefire in Alyoshki, a city in the Russian region of Kherson, coordinated with the first lady’s involvement.
The White House announced the gathering on November 3, describing it as an “extraordinary moment in American history.”
Russia is represented by Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova and Special Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Ukraine has sent Human Rights Commissioner Dmitry Lubinets and David Arakhamia, the head of the ruling Servant of the People parliamentary faction, according to Ukrainian media reports.
The White House said Melania Trump independently initiated contact between the two countries and helped secure the temporary ceasefire in Alyoshki and the surrounding area.
The six-day truce, which expired on Sunday, allowed Russian and Ukrainian humanitarian teams to deliver food, water, medicine, and other essential supplies and evacuate residents. Nearly 800 people were evacuated, according to Melania Trump.
Officials from both sides oversaw the evacuations, with civilians offered the choice of relocating to another city in Russia or traveling to Ukraine via Russia and Belarus. Evacuees and Russian officials interviewed by RT described months of hardships of living under shelling, which they attributed to Ukrainian forces.
Lantratova said on November 2 that discussions were underway on organizing regular humanitarian missions to Alyoshki with the first lady’s mediation, potentially allowing aid deliveries every month.
The meeting comes ahead of another round of US-mediated negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi.
