First Lady Melania Trump will bring Russian and Ukrainian representatives together at the White House on Thursday to recognize a six-day ceasefire she helped broker in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky. The event marks an unusual diplomatic initiative by an American first lady and comes as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Melania Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The White House described the agreement as an unprecedented diplomatic achievement, saying the first lady independently initiated contact between the two countries and helped secure the temporary ceasefire around Oleshky, in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

The truce was intended to create a window for humanitarian aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians trapped in the occupied city. Nearly 800 people were evacuated to Ukrainian-controlled territory during the operation, according to reports. The remaining population had faced severe shortages of food, medicine and clean water, while mined roads and continued military activity made leaving the area especially dangerous.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is expected to attend Thursday’s White House event and meet with American administration officials, according to people familiar with his plans. His visit will mark the first in-person contact between Russian and American officials since Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

The political shift in Washington could complicate the administration’s efforts to negotiate with Moscow. Democrats are expected to push for additional military and financial assistance to Ukraine when they take control of Congress in January. They have also pledged to investigate several Trump administration decisions involving Russia, including a diesel fuel agreement and the easing of certain sanctions.

Despite the Republican defeat, the Kremlin has expressed hope that Trump will continue pursuing a negotiated settlement. Russian officials have also said preparations are underway for a possible meeting between Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen, China.

Thursday’s gathering comes ahead of a planned November 10-11 meeting in Abu Dhabi involving American, Russian and Ukrainian representatives. Those discussions are expected to focus on efforts to end the nearly five-year war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The administration is seeking progress toward a broader agreement after previous diplomatic efforts failed to produce a lasting settlement.

Melania Trump’s involvement has largely centered on humanitarian issues, including efforts to reunite Ukrainian children with their families after they were taken to Russia. Her representative has worked with Russian and Ukrainian officials on those cases, helping facilitate the reunification of 34 children. The Oleshky operation extended that diplomatic channel to civilian evacuations and emergency assistance.

Russian and Ukrainian officials involved in the humanitarian effort have worked on coordinating the evacuation process, including arrangements for civilians who wanted to travel to either Ukrainian- or Russian-controlled territory. The temporary ceasefire provided an opportunity for those efforts to proceed, although it did not represent a broader agreement to end hostilities.

Dmitriev has played a role in several previous humanitarian contacts between Washington and Moscow, including negotiations involving the release of American detainees in Russia and the return of Ukrainian children. His presence at the White House underscores the continued importance of those channels even as the two countries remain far apart on the terms of a comprehensive peace agreement.

The Oleshky ceasefire offers a limited example of cooperation between the two sides, but the broader conflict remains unresolved. The upcoming Abu Dhabi negotiations will test whether the humanitarian contacts and diplomatic engagement can translate into meaningful progress toward ending the war.