Exclusive: Putin 'wanted very much' for Melania Trump to broker Oleshky ceasefire, first lady adviser says

Russian President Vladimir Putin "wanted very much" for U.S. First Lady Melania Trump to mediate the ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, Marc Beckman, her exclusive senior adviser, told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 28.

"President Putin wanted very much for her to participate and also wrote a formal letter explaining that she… would be recognized as the exclusive intermediary from Russia," Beckman said.

Beckman said the Russian military proposed moving the ceasefire forward by two days and expanding its geographic scope beyond Oleshky into other parts of Kherson Oblast to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuation preparations. Ukraine agreed to the proposal.

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