Oleshky truce appears to hold after Russian strikes on Kyiv

A local humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky appeared to be holding on Tuesday, with both sides halting drone attacks, according to The Guardian. The truce began at 3am. Ukrainian officials said it is due to last until 11pm on Sunday.

The pause came shortly after Russia struck Kyiv several times on Monday night, Al Jazeera reported. The ceasefire does not cover the rest of Ukraine. According to The Guardian, Russian drones and ballistic missiles killed at least one person and injured 15 in the capital. A university campus, a bridge over the Dnipro and metro infrastructure were hit, and ten other regions also came under fire. The bridge remains closed to traffic, and some commuters were walking across it to get to work.

Oleshky lies on the Dnipro River, about 3 miles from Kherson on the opposite bank. Witnesses said the frontline across the river was quiet for the first time in four years. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people in the city have been living under a Russian blockade, according to The Guardian. It reported that the last delivery of food to stores was in May, and that many people are starving. The Ukrainian military has airdropped food using drones, and locals say Russian security forces detain anyone who takes it.

The White House has said First Lady Melania Trump requested the humanitarian mission. Al Jazeera reported that the US says she brokered the truce, while a separate report pointed to competing claims involving the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, EU officials and the Council of Europe had also called for a ceasefire. An evacuation is due to begin on Thursday or Friday, with buses taking residents to occupied Crimea and Russia.

Separately, Finland's president Alexander Stubb and Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Vladimir Putin, which they described as frank and substantive. Støre indicated that big differences remained. The call was linked to talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US expected in Abu Dhabi next month. The two leaders said they took part for their own countries, not for Europe as a whole.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two leaders had briefed him and had told Russia of the need for real steps towards de-escalation, particularly on energy infrastructure. He said Russia must stop dragging out the war. Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen said she was very sceptical of the initiative, saying it was not agreed with other European leaders.

Earlier this month Putin said he was willing to resume peace talks, but on Russia's terms, including the handover of the entire Donbas region and more territory in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine was open to a deal freezing the war along current frontlines, but would not recognise occupied land as Russian.