Ukraine: ceasefire in Oleshky from 27 October. Mediation by Melania Trump

“My team and I have spoken with President Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. We discussed the outcomes of the meetings in Oslo and St Petersburg, and how we can take diplomacy forward this November. We have agreed to hold a trilateral meeting – between Ukraine, the US and Russia – at working-level. The plan is to meet in the first half of November. We are ready to meet on any day – even tomorrow. But it all depends on the Russians. We had also expected a trilateral meeting this October. But it didn’t happen – because the Russians found yet another reason not to meet.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote this on X, reposting his speech at the Hudson Institute on social media. “Now we must all focus on making these meetings happen, together with America, Europe and all our partners. Can they take place without America or without American pressure on Russia? Probably not,” he continues. “That is why we are really counting on America to keep this a priority at every level. And we must move from trilateral talks at a technical level to a meeting of leaders – because the key issues can only be resolved at that level.”

To enable the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, the Ukrainian armed forces will observe a ceasefire in the area from 4 am Moscow time (3 am Italian time) on Tuesday 27 October. This was announced by the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov.

The military are working to coordinate the timing of the ceasefire in the Oleshky area, in the Kherson region, to allow a humanitarian operation to take place. This was stated by Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president’s spokesperson, as quoted by Interfax. “At present, the military are working to coordinate the timing of the ceasefire in this area, in order to ensure that this humanitarian mission can take place. Anyone who wishes to do so will be able to leave this settlement,” he told journalists. The Kremlin spokesperson emphasised that “this requires extremely demanding and complex preparation, involving representatives from various sectors. But I repeat once again: the coordinating role falls to Melania Trump. And this issue was discussed during the recent talks between President Putin and President Trump,” he added. “We welcome the efforts of the First Lady of the United States, which have contributed significantly to reaching an agreement on the humanitarian operation in the town of Oleshky. In accordance with the agreements reached by Presidents Putin and Trump, and with the direct involvement of Mrs Trump, intensive work has been carried out by Jana Lantratova, the Russian Federation President’s Commissioner for Human Rights, and her Ukrainian counterpart,” Peskov added.

Speed restrictions on Starlink communication systems in Ukraine remain in place, according to a Ukrainian official, contradicting US President Donald Trump, who claimed that services had been fully restored. “At present, we are not seeing any lifting of speed limits on Starlink,” said Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the Telegram app. A short while ago, in response to a journalist’s question, Trump said: “If the problem hasn’t been resolved, I’ll speak to Musk”, the CEO of SpaceX, which owns Starlink.

The Kremlin “welcomes” Melania Trump’s efforts, which “have made a significant contribution to coordinating the humanitarian operation” in the town of Oleshky following a ceasefire. This was stated by the spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, as reported by TASS.

First Lady Melania Trump has secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the town of Olenshky. The ceasefire will begin on 29 October. The White House has announced this. “The two countries have agreed to temporarily halt military action in Olenshky to allow humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare for the evacuation of civilians via designated corridors,” a statement said.

All four of Moscow’s international airports were closed to traffic in the early afternoon following an air raid alert triggered by Ukrainian drone attacks, and all passengers were evacuated from Sheremetyevo Airport. This was reported by the Federal Air Transport Agency, as quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.

An oil tanker loaded with Russian diesel is heading for New York. This has been confirmed by the maritime monitoring company and the Kremlin, following the United States’ easing of sanctions under the agreement between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on diesel imports. The agreement is widely seen as an attempt by Trump to drive down fuel prices in the United States ahead of the mid-term elections on 3 November. Trump’s decision to suspend certain sanctions to allow greater quantities of Russian diesel to enter global markets came as Moscow’s forces intensified their attacks on Kyiv. Trump attributed the surge in fuel prices to Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. But according to analysts, the war Trump launched against Iran in February was the main cause of the price rise. According to data from the maritime tracking firm Kpler, the Maltese-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes was spotted off the coast of Helsinki and indicated ‘New York’ as its destination on its AIS transponder. The vessel left the Russian port of Primorsk, on the Baltic Sea, during the night, after loading nearly 300,000 barrels of diesel at the local oil terminal, Kpler said. It is due to arrive in New York around 7 November. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that “the first oil tanker has set sail for its buyers. Shipments will continue at a steady pace”.

The Russian Federation’s ambassador to Rome, Alexey Paramonov, has stated that “in Italia, the true nature of the aggressive ideology of Ukrainian nationalism has not yet been understood”. This is according to a comment published on the Russian diplomatic mission’s Telegram channel. “Unfortunately, in Italia, the true nature of the aggressive ideology of Ukrainian nationalism – which led this territory of the former Soviet Union into the fratricidal internal conflict of 2014 and which necessitated, in 2022, Russia to launch the Special Military Operation in Ukraine to put an end to the suffering of the civilian population of the Donbass and Novorossiya”, the statement reads. “This misanthropic doctrine, essentially Nazi in nature, which emerged just over a century ago in the regions on the western border of the Russian Empire, spread rapidly after 1991 throughout the structures of the former Soviet Republic and was harnessed – by the corrupt leaders who seized power – to the construction of the so-called new Ukrainian identity”, the Russian diplomat clarified, as quoted by the embassy’s press office.

“The latest reports that Starlink has decided to scale back its services in Ukraine are deeply concerning and run counter to what had previously been agreed regarding these essential needs for Ukrainian soldiers and for Ukraine itself. We once again strongly urge SpaceX to fully restore services to Ukraine.” A spokesperson for the European Commission made these remarks during the regular press briefing.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “deeply alarmed” by what she described as “yet another Russian escalation in the Black Sea”, after “a civilian vessel carrying Ukrainian and Azerbaijani crew members was struck off the coast of Romania”. “These reckless attacks target innocent lives and blatantly violate international law,” von der Leyen wrote in a social media post. “My thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the sailor who lost his life, as well as with the families of the three crew members who are still missing,” von der Leyen wrote, expressing her gratitude to the “rescue teams who are working tirelessly to find them”.

According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence, as reported by local news agencies, Russia and Ukraine have carried out a prisoner-of-war exchange on a 270-for-270 basis.

The Russian Central Bank has left its key interest rate unchanged at 14 per cent per annum. The Russian Central Bank had taken the same decision at its September meeting, marking the first pause in the easing of monetary policy in over a year.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the US, are scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, in November. This was announced by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov. Russia has declared itself ready to resume peace talks – which have been at a standstill since the start of the year – following a meeting on Wednesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also expressed his support for the talks.

The EU will provide two-thirds of the additional €70 billion requested by Ukraine to continue its fight against Russia next year. This was stated by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, in an interview with *Rapporteur*. “We normally cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financial needs. At the last European Council, we agreed to ensure that Ukraine’s additional needs are met and we tasked the Commission with presenting concrete solutions in this regard. The Commission is working on this, and I expect that we will be able to take a decision on the matter in November,” explained Costa, before turning his attention to another sensitive issue for Brussels: the multiannual budget. “I am working to reach an agreement at the November Council. The core budget should be approved in November, and it is possible to reach an agreement that very month,” Costa emphasised.

The European Union will cover two-thirds of the €70 billion ($78 billion) in additional funding requested by Ukraine for 2027, amounting to €46.7 billion ($52 billion), on top of the aid already agreed. This was stated by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, in an interview published by Rapporteur. “We normally cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financial needs,” said Costa, commenting on Kyiv’s request for a further €70 billion. A decision on the new funding could be taken at the EU summit scheduled for November. “At the last European Council, we agreed to ensure that Ukraine’s additional needs are met and we tasked the Commission with presenting concrete solutions in this regard,” said Costa, adding that “the Commission is working on this and I expect that we will be able to take a decision in November”.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is reportedly on a shortlist of five names from which the EU must choose a mediator to negotiate with Vladimir Putin’s Russia in the peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. This is according to the Daily Telegraph, which cites diplomatic sources. In addition to Meloni, the shortlist drawn up in Brussels includes Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Today, in the Belarusian city of Gomel, an exchange of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war is due to take place, alongside the repatriation of civilians, according to the BelTA news agency. The Russian Federation’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitry Lubinets, met at the Novaya Guta checkpoint. Yesterday, an exchange of the remains of Russian and Ukrainian servicemen took place at the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Moscow handed over 25 sets of remains to the Ukrainian side, whilst Kyiv handed over 252.

Ukraine claims that Russia attacked energy infrastructure in six of its regions overnight, leaving more than 500,000 people without power. “Last night and this morning, Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector,” said Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov, as reported by Sky News. Energy infrastructure in the regions of Zhytomyr, Volyn, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne was hit. As a result of the attacks, over 500,000 Ukrainians were left without electricity.”

The United States is seeking to revive a peace agreement that would involve the creation of a demilitarised zone in the Donbass and Ukraine’s renunciation of NATO membership. This was reported by *The Economist*. The authorities in Kyiv, however, are not aware of all the details of the latest proposals. Moscow would benefit from an easing of sanctions, a normalisation of political relations and trade agreements with US companies. Kyiv, on the other hand, would secure an investment programme and membership of the European Union.

Washington is also reportedly proposing to resume Russian gas supplies to Europe and revive the Nord Stream pipeline project. As the weekly magazine pointed out, these are commitments that the United States has no authority to make. Ukrainian negotiators fear that Donald Trump’s envoys are aiming to secure lucrative trade deals even before the war ends. According to the newspaper, Moscow could drag out the negotiations whilst continuing to secure immediate concessions on sanctions and pressing ahead with attacks on Ukraine.

Hungary’s stance on Ukraine and migration has remained virtually unchanged even following the departure of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. This was reported by Politico, which quoted a European diplomat. According to the source, under the new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, there is a “marked difference in style and attitude”, but the positions on Ukraine and migration remain essentially the same.

“They are simply presented differently,” added the diplomat. This week, *The Kyiv Independent* reported, citing European and Ukrainian diplomatic sources, that Budapest had blocked the next stage of Ukraine and Moldova’s accession process to the European Union. In June, Magyar had stated that Budapest would no longer stand in the way of the next phase of Ukraine’s accession negotiations, following an agreement on restoring the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia. The Prime Minister had, however, reiterated Hungary’s opposition to accelerated EU accession, arguing for the need to follow a merit-based approach.

Starlink remains restricted for military operations in Ukraine, despite Donald Trump having phoned Musk to ask for the restrictions to be lifted. This was stated by Dmitry Litvin, an adviser to the President of Ukraine, on X. “We are still subject to the same restrictions, so nothing has changed for the time being,” wrote Litvin in response to a WSJ journalist who reported yesterday that Trump had asked the founder of SpaceX to lift the restrictions on the military version of Starlink in Ukraine.

One person has died and eight others have been injured in Ukrainian attacks carried out over the past 24 hours against the Russian region of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine. This was reported by Governor Alexander Shuvayev, who stated that Ukrainian forces had carried out 119 attacks using artillery and drones laden with explosives. “Unfortunately, a man was killed during a Ukrainian attack in the Grayvoron district. I offer my deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends,” Shuvayev wrote on the Max platform.

The governor stated that the eight injured were reported in the districts of Borisovsky, Grayvoron and Shebekino. Four people are currently in hospital. According to the Russian regional authorities, over the past 24 hours, air defence systems have shot down or neutralised 146 Ukrainian drones using electronic countermeasures.

A Russian drone struck a house in the Zhytomyr region (in northern Ukraine) overnight, injuring nine people, including two minors, according to local authorities. “Russia is continuing its deliberate terrorist campaign against the peaceful Zhytomyr region,” regional governor Vitalii Bunechko wrote on Telegram. Two of the injured were taken to hospital, Bunechko added. Zhytomyr is a city in north-western Ukraine with a population of over 200,000. In recent weeks, the city’s energy infrastructure has been the target of repeated Russian attacks. Although Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, in recent weeks it has stepped up its attacks on such infrastructure ahead of the winter months. The attacks on energy infrastructure earlier this month caused repeated power and water cuts affecting hundreds of thousands of residents in Kyiv and frontline cities.

The European Commission aims to reach a political agreement by the end of 2026 to cover Ukraine’s funding shortfall for next year, currently estimated at around 70 billion euros. This is according to an internal document from the European Commission, circulated to Member States and viewed by the Rapporteur portal. “Work must begin to find solutions to the remaining funding shortfall for 2027, with the aim of reaching a political agreement by the end of the year,” the document states, whilst also emphasising the need to maintain a degree of flexibility in aid provision, in order to respond swiftly to changing needs on the battlefield. The additional requirement of 70 billion euros had already been highlighted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and confirmed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following the European Council meeting on 15 and 16 October. This estimate, which is still provisional, already takes into account the €45 billion earmarked for 2027 as part of the €90 billion European loan agreed in December 2025, as well as certain commitments made by other international partners.

According to the Rapporteur, the document also urges Kyiv to speed up the implementation of the reforms necessary to secure the disbursement of the European loan, part of which remains on hold precisely because of delays in adopting the measures agreed with Brussels.

A Russian drone struck a house in the Zhytomyr region (in northern Ukraine) overnight, injuring nine people, including two minors, according to local authorities. “Russia is continuing its deliberate terrorist campaign against the peaceful Zhytomyr region,” regional governor Vitalii Bunechko wrote on Telegram. Two of the injured were taken to hospital, Bunechko added. Zhytomyr is a city in north-western Ukraine with a population of over 200,000. In recent weeks, the city’s energy infrastructure has been the target of repeated Russian attacks. Although Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, in recent weeks it has stepped up its attacks on such infrastructure ahead of the winter months. The attacks on energy infrastructure earlier this month caused repeated power and water cuts affecting hundreds of thousands of residents in Kyiv and frontline cities.

More than 150 drones flew over the Moscow region during the night, most of which were shot down by air defence forces at the region’s outermost borders. This was announced by the Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin. “Overnight, 155 drones headed towards the Moscow region. Most of them were destroyed by air defence forces well away from the region’s borders,” he wrote on his Max channel, adding that five drones were neutralised as they approached Moscow.

The Russians have heavily bombed one of Dtek’s thermal power stations in Ukraine, causing it to cease electricity generation. The Dtek group announced the news on Telegram, according to a report by Ukrinform. The facility has sustained extensive damage.

Last week, President Trump telephoned Elon Musk, asking him to restore Ukraine’s full access to the Starshield satellite communications network; this was reported by a senior administration official and a person familiar with the details of the conversation. Trump’s call to Musk – the owner of the Starshield network – came after Ukrainian officials reported new restrictions on the use of military drones, which have become essential tools in the conflict with Russia. The situation has raised concerns in Ukraine: the fear is that Trump – who has asked Kyiv to halt drone attacks on Russian oil refineries – may have instructed Musk to impose such restrictions.

Further reading

Putin: Russia and Ukraine can reach an agreement

22 October 2026