Zelensky honours Melania Trump with Ukraine award for brokering Oleshky truce

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday awarded US first lady Melania Trump a national honour for her role in brokering a partial ceasefire that allowed the evacuation of civilians from a Russian-occupied town.

“I hereby decree that the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, be awarded to Melania Trump, first lady of the United States of America,” a decree read on the Ukrainian presidential website.

The text acknowledged her “significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine, and for active human rights and charitable work”.

Last month, Melania Trump announced a localised truce between Ukrainian and Russian forces to allow residents of Oleshky on the southern front to leave, after suffering weeks of shortages of food and medicine.

The rare halt in fighting, which was respected by both sides, allowed roads to be demined and residents to depart for either Ukraine or Russia.

Melania Trump, who has also been involved in efforts to return Ukrainian children taken to Russia, has since announced that she will host representatives from both sides in Washington.

Zelensky was in Madrid on Wednesday on a surprise visit to drum up fresh military support against Russia during a summit of Latin American leaders in Spain.

Madrid is hosting a two-day summit of the Ibero-American Community, a 22-nation group of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries that are mainly in Latin America, where support for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion has divided opinion.

After the summit finishes on Thursday, Zelensky will meet Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and “several leaders to exchange views on the situation of his country, its global repercussions and the main challenges for international peace and security”, Spanish government sources said.

Zelensky confirmed his arrival on social media, saying “our top priority is strengthening Ukraine’s air defences, protecting our people, and expanding defence cooperation and production”.

“Further support steps are being prepared,” the president added, without providing detail on the measures or the leaders he would meet.

The far-right presidents of Argentina and Chile, Javier Milei and Jose Antonio Kast, as well as Bolivian conservative Rodrigo Paz are among the Latin American heads of state in the Spanish capital.

King Felipe VI will host Zelensky at his Zarzuela residence outside Madrid, the royal palace confirmed.

Zelensky’s fresh bid for support comes after he, Russia and the United States confirmed their negotiators will meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 for the first talks between all three sides since February.