Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is hoping that US mediation to unblock the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast will be successful, but the situation remains dire as Russian forces have mined the roads.
Source: Zelenskyy in a video address
Quote: "There is also an arrangement regarding Oleshky that should be implemented soon – to unblock access to the city. In the occupied part, the temporarily occupied part, of our Kherson region, the Russians have mined the roads, making the situation dire, extremely dire."
Details: Zelenskyy said Ukraine hopes a humanitarian operation can be carried out to unblock access to Oleshky, bring in food and medicine, and allow people to leave the combat zone.
"We have been negotiating this for some time and at various levels. Ukraine will do its part. We count on American mediation to work," he noted.
The Ukrainian and Russian general staffs announced on Friday evening that a ceasefire would be implemented in a designated area starting on the night of 27 October to conduct a humanitarian operation in temporarily occupied Oleshky.
Background: The White House issued a statement reporting that US First Lady Melania Trump had secured a truce between Russia and Ukraine in Russian-occupied Oleshky, where a humanitarian disaster is currently unfolding. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia has agreed to a ceasefire so that a humanitarian mission can be carried out in Oleshky. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, confirmed that a humanitarian operation will take place in Oleshky on 29 October and that a ceasefire will be in effect.
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