Melania Trump's advisor reveals how she bridged Putin, Zelenskyy to broker frontline Ukraine truce
First lady Melania Trump "single-handedly" brokered a humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky, Ukraine, her senior advisor says, as Russia extends the truce.
First lady Melania Trump helped broker a humanitarian ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to allow emergency aid into the frontline town of Oleshky, her senior advisor said.
Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," exclusive senior advisor Marc Beckman said the agreement followed weeks of mediation involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Beckman told Fox News the effort reflects how Trump is redefining the role of first lady.
"We have to look, as Americans, at our first lady with immense pride. She is completely revamping the role of first lady from somebody building policy awareness into action-oriented. She's saving lives," Beckman said.
"Yesterday, she brokered — single-handedly brokered — a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine within the area of Oleshky," he added, noting that Russia has since agreed to extend the planned ceasefire by two days and expand it to a broader area of Ukraine's Kherson region.
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Beckman said the first lady was moved to negotiate the ceasefire to help elderly residents still trapped in the region, giving them time to evacuate and allowing humanitarian aid to reach those who remain.
He said the agreement built on the first lady's previous humanitarian work.
Since August 2025, Trump has helped negotiate the release of Ukrainian children from Russia, allowing them to reunite with their families. Beckman said 34 children have been returned to their families through six separate exchanges.
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"She was smart enough to realize that by leveraging the relationships — the strong relationships that she fostered over six unique moments in time for the reunification of Ukrainian and Russian children... by leveraging those relationships, she was able to bring everybody to the table and negotiate this ceasefire," Beckman said.
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President Donald Trump also praised his wife's efforts, saying, "I think she's done a great job. I mean, she's into saving babies and bringing babies back home to their parents, and she's been able to do something that's great."
Pope Leo XIV reportedly spoke with Putin and Zelenskyy by phone to emphasize the need for a humanitarian truce.
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The localized ceasefire is expected to begin Oct. 29, according to the White House.
The first lady described the situation in Oleshky as "dire" and said the remaining elderly residents urgently need medical care, medicine, food and drinking water.
"The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible," she said, according to the White House press release.