Localized Ukraine Ceasefire Starts as Nordic Leaders Speak to Putin

UKRAINE – Russia and Ukraine began observing a localized ceasefire in a devastated southern Ukrainian city on Tuesday, ahead of a planned humanitarian mission that the White House said was brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.

Moscow kept up its deadly missile attacks on other cities in the meantime.

Earlier attempts at limited ceasefires quickly unraveled or never took hold due to the deep mistrust between Russia and Ukraine.

Melania Trump said in a post on X that the ceasefire began two days earlier than initially planned “to protect the safety of civilians and to facilitate the delivery of critical humanitarian aid.”

She didn’t elaborate on those considerations.