First lady Melania Trump brought Russian and Ukrainian officials together at the White House to mark a temporary ceasefire she helped broker in southeastern Ukraine, a rare joint appearance as the administration pushes for a deal to end the war.
The six-day pause centered on Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city. Before it expired Sunday, humanitarian aid reached the city and hundreds of residents were evacuated.
The first lady framed the truce as a choice of humanity over war and said she hoped Oleshky would inspire a wider peace. The White House regards the arrangement as a diplomatic breakthrough, and it is a ceasefire her husband has not managed to secure on his own.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, thanked her on behalf of Putin and the Russian people. He said Putin had personally issued the instructions to make sure the ceasefire was carried out.
Ukraine's side offered its own recognition. Dmytro Lubinets, the country's human rights ombudsman, presented the first lady with the Order of Princess Olha, 1st Class, Ukraine's highest award for women, and urged her to keep supporting people.
The ceremony comes days before the United States leads a new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi. President Trump also met with Dmitriev at the White House and told reporters the two sides were close to an agreement, one he said could extend beyond Ukraine and possibly involve all of Europe.
Some European analysts worry the effort could backfire. Heather Conley, who handled European issues in President George W. Bush's State Department and is now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said she backs any effort to help suffering Ukrainians but warned that the U.S. must avoid normalizing Russia's bad behavior.
The more we create this equivalency where the Russians and the Ukrainians are equal in this crisis, it is putting this thing upside down.
Heather Conley, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
Conley said the ceremony honored the Russians responsible for occupying and starving Oleshky, now for allowing aid into the city.
