Humanitarian Ceasefire Begins in Ukraine's Oleshky

A local ceasefire has begun in the southern city of Oleshky as part of a humanitarian mission brokered by former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, the leaders of Finland and Norway held a direct phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have begun implementing a local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky to facilitate the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of critical aid. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that there had been no violations from either side as of the evening. The ceasefire was reportedly implemented ahead of planned trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

Additionally, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders stated that they established direct contact with Putin regarding ending the war ahead of next month's talks, and they also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, it was announced that civilians were killed and injured in Russian missile attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv.