Symbolic imageOleshky ceasefire and prisoner swap precede planned Abu Dhabi talks
Russia and Ukraine agreed a local ceasefire to evacuate civilians from occupied Oleshky, which the White House says Melania Trump secured. Trilateral talks with the US are planned for early November.
The White House said on Friday, 23 October, that Melania Trump secured the ceasefire and that it begins on 29 October. Russia's General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov announced a halt to fire on the Kherson front from 4 a.m. on 27 October for a humanitarian convoy, so the stated start dates differ. Aid is to enter, and residents who wish to leave will be taken to Russia or Ukraine as they choose. The Jerusalem Post puts the remaining population at 1,700 to 2,000, mostly elderly, out of 24,000 before the war. Pope Leo XIV had urged Putin by phone to allow aid and evacuation.
Prisoner exchange
Reuters reports that Russia and Ukraine swapped 270 prisoners each.
Abu Dhabi talks and US plan
Reuters reports Zelensky said Ukrainian, Russian and US negotiators will meet in Abu Dhabi in early November. The Economist, citing Ukrainian officials, reports a US plan with a demilitarised zone in the part of Donetsk Russia has not captured, and EU membership for Ukraine if it drops its NATO bid. A source close to Zelensky's office told Meduza that Kyiv will not give up territory, while Putin called it "territory of historical Russia".