First Lady Melania Trump returned to the public stage Thursday, only two days after voters delivered a stinging midterm-election rebuke to her husband.
She welcomed Russian and Ukrainian officials to the White House Cross Hall to mark the six-day truce she helped broker in the war-ravaged city of Oleshky.
The gathering represented another step in the First Lady’s push for peace. Representatives from both delegations also presented her with gifts.
“Together we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire,” she said from the podium.
“Let us see Oleshky as a spark in a world of darkness capable of illuminating the best of humanity,” the First Lady continued. “Build a powerful flame of peace, visible to the world. Ignite hope, foster cooperation and brighten the path toward lasting peace.”
Nearly 800 people were evacuated during the pause, which began October 7 and ended November 1 after Russia declined to extend it.
Even so, Kirill Dmitriev, a representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, praised the initiative and commended both the First Lady and the President.
“President Putin also appreciates President Trump’s peace-making efforts and his team working on a peace plan to resolve [the] Ukrainian crisis,” said Dmitriev, who was invited to speak first at the event.
First Lady Melania Trump appeared in the White House Cross Hall Thursday with members of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, calling for the six-day ceasefire in Oleshky to serve as a foundation for broader peace
First Lady Melania Trump (right) shakes hands with Kirill Dmitriev (left), a representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, who spoke first at the event
Dmitriev also brought the First Lady a “painting” by an 11-year-old girl who had been living in Oleshky before choosing to move to Russia with her family during the ceasefire.
“And this beautiful drawing says just three words, ‘I love Melania,’” Dmitriev said.
“And this message from children, frankly, overshadows any diplomatic statement anybody can make,” the Russian envoy added.
David Arakhamia represented Ukraine. Although he had prepared remarks, he said he would speak from the “heart.”
“You did an amazing job,” he told Trump.
“I think when everything started with your team, we had about 5 percent of people who believed in success and 95 percent skeptics who say it is not going to work,” Arakhamia continued. “Now after it happened, it switched completely.”
He called the truce an important step because “both sides are learning this little mechanics, how to actually keep the peace when the peace comes.”
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Arakhamia also presented the First Lady with the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, an honor awarded to her by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
First Lady Melania Trump walks from the Blue Room into the White House Cross Hall for an event bringing Russian and Ukrainian representatives together
Kirill Dmitriev, a representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, presented First Lady Melania Trump with a “painting” by an 11-year-old girl who had lived in Oleshky before moving to Russia during the ceasefire
Davyd Arakhamia (left), head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, speaks beside First Lady Melania Trump (right) at the White House Thursday
Arakhamia presented First Lady Melania Trump with the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, awarded to her by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
At the close of Thursday’s event, First Lady Melania Trump gave large letters to Russia’s Kirill Dmitriev and Ukraine’s Davyd Arakhamia for delivery to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, respectively
In return, the First Lady gave Dmitriev and Arakhamia large envelopes containing letters to Putin and Zelensky, respectively, urging the leaders to pursue a broader peace agreement.
She had previously written to Putin and asked her husband, President Donald Trump, to personally deliver the letter when the two leaders met in Anchorage last year.
The First Lady has also been working to reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russian forces with their parents.
So far, she has helped 34 children return to their families.
The localized ceasefire was announced October 23 after Melania learned about conditions in Oleshky while traveling to the United Nations General Assembly in September.
She had gone to New York to host a Fostering the Future Together event, an initiative focused on empowering and protecting children from emerging technology.
Russian forces captured Oleshky on the first day of President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The city’s resources have steadily deteriorated since then. The Associated Press reported that food and medical supplies had been scarce for months, while residents lacked electricity, heat and running water.
Hundreds of people were killed when the Kakhovka Dam collapsed after an explosion in June 2023, an incident the AP determined was likely caused by the Russian military.
The White House estimated that roughly 90 percent of the city was flooded.
During his remarks Thursday, Dmitriev said aid to Oleshky would continue despite the end of the ceasefire.
