Russia, Ukraine agree to local ceasefire as new peace talks planned - Reuters

Investing.com -- Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky to facilitate humanitarian operations, while negotiators prepare for another round of U.S.-mediated peace talks in November, Reuters reported Friday.

The ceasefire, scheduled to begin October 27, will allow humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations through designated safe corridors.

The agreement was coordinated with assistance from U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, who has also been involved in efforts to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia with their families.

Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov said troops would suspend operations from 4 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

Ukrainian officials said the humanitarian mission would include clearing mines from access roads, delivering essential supplies and evacuating vulnerable residents.

Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Ukrainian-controlled Kherson, has approximately 1,700 to 2,000 residents remaining, compared with 24,000 before the war.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were preparing technical-level peace negotiations during the first half of November.

Abu Dhabi is being considered as a venue, although a U.S. official indicated Switzerland remained another possibility.

Zelenskiy expressed hope that the discussions would eventually lead to a meeting between national leaders.

However, tensions between Washington and Kyiv persist over restrictions affecting Starlink communications used by Ukrainian forces.

President Donald Trump said he would contact SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk if necessary to resolve the issue.

Ukraine maintains that speed restrictions introduced on October 13 remain in place.

Any peace agreement would require substantial security guarantees and funding to sustain Ukraine’s military for another decade, Zelenskiy said.

Separately, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 270 prisoners of war each on Friday, marking their first such exchange since August.

Ukrainian prosecutors reported that more than 19,000 civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.