The agreement provides for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians through a specially organized safe corridor, according to the White House statement. Residents who wish to leave will be given transport to a destination of their choice. "Some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine," Melania Trump said.

Neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian side had commented on the White House announcement at the time of publication.

According to the press release, civilian representatives of both countries will jointly visit residents at their homes to determine the level of assistance needed. They will be accompanied by staff from an independent American media organization. "This will play an important role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are precisely respected," the first lady said. The statement did not specify which newsroom was involved.

Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, had earlier spoken of the start of an evacuation from Oleshky and six neighboring settlements. Estimates of the number of people remaining in the town vary: the Ukrainian side cited about 6,000 people, including up to 200 children, and later about 2,000, including nearly 50 children. The Insider, citing journalist Elena Gnitetskaya, reported that people there are living in complete blockade, without food or medicine, and that supplies are bartered at improvised locations and quickly run out because of the large number of drones.

The ceasefire is accompanied by several diplomatic attempts to settle the situation. On October 16, Pope Leo XIV called Vladimir Putin and urged a ceasefire in the area of the town. According to Ekho, the Russian president said in response that responsibility for the humanitarian situation lay with "the Kyiv regime." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had earlier attributed supply problems to the proximity of Ukrainian positions and shelling. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno announced a hunger strike to draw attention to the situation in Oleshky.

The White House statement did not specify how long the ceasefire would last. Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since 2022.