Melania Trump Hosts Russian, Ukrainian Representatives at White House for Ceasefire Talks

[0:04] for the suffering of innocent people together we can create something more enduring [0:12] than a temporary ceasefire let us use let us see olashki as a spark in a world of darkness [0:22] capable of illuminating the best in humanity build a powerful flame of peace visible to the world [0:32] ignite hope foster cooperation and brighten a path toward lasting peace i became aware of the [0:45] severity of the humanitarian crisis in olashki in september recognizing the urgency i acted [0:53] immediately and directed my representative mark backman to engage with russia and ukraine on my [1:00] behalf to pursue peace in olashki both nations welcome my participation acknowledging that [1:10] previous efforts to establish a ceasefire in the region had not succeed russia and ukraine honor [1:19] our relationship and agreed to work with me in the capacity of exclusive intermediary to establish [1:29] a ceasefire in olashki and the surrounding kirshan region our shared objective was to deliver critical [1:39] humanitarian aid to olashki presidents and establish a safe evacuation route for civilians my role as an [1:50] exclusive intermediary was memorialized in written agreements drafted and signed by both russia and [1:59] ukraine mark and ukraine mark and i began our work using the communication channels [2:05] we had previously previously established to reunite children with their families in russia and ukraine [2:13] humanitarian military and government officials from russia and ukraine work diligently to coordinate [2:23] every aspect of the operation i was involved in every stage of the planning i reviewed the [2:33] mining plans the mining plans aerial images assessed roadways and discussed evacuation routes hospital access [2:42] vehicles and medical resources i was made aware of the preferred dates and timing of the operation [2:52] my communication with russia and ukraine was extensive professional detailed and highly cooperative [3:02] mark mark mark and i did everything possible to support both nations in advancing their shared commitment [3:09] to reach a ceasefire in olashki we fulfilled our responsibilities at every stage collaborating with russia and ukraine [3:21] teams through completion russia and ukraine signed agreements in both languages on friday october 23rd 2026 [3:33] i commend both sides for your good faith efforts to define and implement all components of this [3:42] sophisticated ceasefire i would like to welcome mr kirill dimitrov special envoy to president putin of the russian [3:53] federation to the podium to say a few words dear first lady melania trump distinguished guests dear friends [4:14] each of us is unique each of us is unique each of us can make a contribution that no one else can and [4:20] sometimes our greatest step is the simplest act of humanity on behalf of president putin on behalf of [4:29] people of the russian federation we would like to thank first lady melania trump for her distinguished [4:36] humanitarian role in resolving olashki situation and resolving this humanitarian issue she played a crucial [4:47] leadership role in coordinating humanitarian operation in olashki and reunifying russian and ukrainian [4:55] families in ensuring that agreements become actions and actions save lives president putin [5:03] personally gave all of the necessary instructions to ensure the successful implementation of the [5:09] local ceasefire in olashki ukrainian site abided by ceasefire and this humanitarian mission shows [5:17] what can be achieved when compassion determination and cooperation come together also security services [5:26] military services commissioners for human rights mr lubinets miss lantratova [5:32] for russia and ukraine played a critical role in ensuring this operation and success of course mark [5:38] beckman advisor to first lady with whom we interacted on a daily basis played an absolutely important [5:44] role in making sure that this operation is a success as well and many residents of olashki decided to stay [5:50] and received humanitarian help some decided to relocate and very important that humanitarian deliveries [5:58] will continue today we also honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice we remember russian military [6:05] the miner sergeant andrei vidernikov who died in this operation uh by ensuring its success and our thoughts [6:15] are with his wife uh his uh two children uh and his families madam first lady your humanitarian work [6:23] supported by president putin and commission on children rights maria lvova belova succeeded in [6:29] reunifying 34 children with their families in ukraine in russia and we know that your work will [6:36] continue to ensure that families come together and the children are protected president putin also [6:43] appreciates president trump's peacemaking effort and his team working on a peace plan to resolve ukrainian [6:52] crisis president trump has asked president putin to support a number of initiatives on exchanging of [7:00] prisoners on releasing u.s prisoners on humanitarian efforts and president putin supported those ideas [7:08] and those initiatives and it's very important that cooperation between russia and ukraine [7:13] and russia and the united states mattress not only for our two nations but for the entire world let us [7:20] continue making great humanitarian contributions we can together let us build a future of peace partnership and [7:28] prosperity for the benefit of our families our children and future generations dear milania you saved and [7:36] touched so many lives as a token of appreciation we'd like to give you a small gift which is a painting by [7:45] 11 year old gold lydia from aleshki who chose to be living with your family uh in russia in toopsia and this [7:56] beautiful drawing says just three words i love milania and this message from children uh frankly [8:04] overshadows any diplomatic statement anybody can make so thank you so much first lady thank you for your [8:11] incredible humanitarian work is there in your blue dress thank you carol thank you for a corporation [8:41] and professionalism my deepest appreciation to miss anna lantratova commissioner for human rights in the [8:52] russian federation your dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war thank you [9:01] freedom exists only when the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition [9:11] a free world is one where people can live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely [9:20] beneath the sun we must have promise of life without oppression for a brief period olashki residents enjoyed [9:31] relief from the psychological horrors of war for innocent people living in the shadow of a war [9:39] freedom is more personal than we can fully understand it is found in the simplest moments of life [9:48] last week in olashki and neighboring areas of kirschen people experience the simple joys of life for the [9:58] first time since 2022 they walk down familiar streets without fear of explosions four brave american [10:10] journalists entered the war-torn region to documented the wishes of olenski's residents working in the true [10:20] spirit of journalism newsmax provided transparency accountability and protections to safeguard the truth [10:31] thanks to those journalists who are with us here today thank you the leaders of russia and ukraine [10:41] work to establish calm food clean water and medicine enter the era and nearly 80 people 800 people [10:52] left their homes in search of safety loved ones and a renewed sense of being mr david akaromania faction leader [11:06] of the servant of people party of ukraine is also with us today please join me and say a few words i have a [11:20] speech but i think while hearing everyone i will speak from my heart first madam first lady i would like to [11:28] thank you you did amazing job i think when everything started with you and your team we had about five [11:35] percent people who believed in success and 95 of skeptics who say it's not going to work now after it happened [11:42] it switched completely vice versa so now 95 of the people believe that we could do things like that and five [11:50] percent are still skeptical but the work is going on and i would like to [11:54] personally thank mark backman because without mark i think nothing would happen would be happening [12:00] it's 24 hours work it's one thing it's to agree things on political level and then another thing is to [12:08] execute things on an execution level and it requires a lot of people you know a human rights commissioner on [12:14] both sides it has a lot of challenges you know people have to learn how to keep this agreements in place and i think that [12:22] uh besides a really really big i think the biggest there is the escalation since 2022 that we achieved [12:29] for five days people first day people in herson not only in aleshki but people in herson who were staying [12:35] at hopes first day they did not believe it's happening so they were sitting continue to sit at homes [12:40] next day because the clock is ticking backwards you know they started to go and start walking around [12:45] their homes and next day they started to actually come to see their broken homes and you know like the [12:51] finding their belongings and so on so this is really really uh emotional part you know like to [12:57] even to watch and supervise to understand what we are doing i think that what we are doing we are [13:03] creating a momentum where both sides are learning this little mechanics how to actually keep the peace [13:12] when the peace comes it is also very important initiative that i would like to [13:16] uh sincerely uh uh uh thank you for you know from the from my heart for doing this uh guys for a [13:25] journalist you know like you are you are heroes you know like uh i couldn't go because uh i'm a [13:31] politician you know like we couldn't really do it did it this time but next time i'm definitely in you [13:35] know like on both sides but i would like i would like to ask your assistance you know like to have me as [13:41] well you know like to come to the next uh to the next place and i would like to say say thank you to [13:49] all american people who also participated and who donating now to all these families you know we're [13:57] talking about hundreds of families not only people but also a lot of pets were evacuated right like [14:06] people were getting the pets you know like they have new homes now i mean you know like this is really [14:11] really big big big big moment and definitely we would like to ask you to keep going and to find [14:18] new missions and to de-escalate more as much as possible because i'm also a member of political [14:24] track and the political track is more complex it's more difficult and sometimes you know like your [14:30] your mission is above the politics that's what how we call it internally so we have political track [14:35] which sometimes have challenges and then we have above the politics track we should never stop [14:41] and again our president president zelensky sends you the warmest regards and i would like to ask our [14:48] commissioner to he awarded you and mark with the most prestigious awards for what you did already and [14:55] what you will do in the future and thank you for that again thank you thanks thank you very much [15:07] dear first lady on behalf of the president of ukraine and ukrainian nation i would like to give to you [15:14] this state awards for your leadership for your brave heart for saving our people and for returning back [15:23] ukrainian children you did so a lot for us and i have only one uh request from all ukrainian nation please [15:32] continue do your wonderful work and support uh people thank you thank you president zelensky [16:03] and the nation of ukraine for this highest honor the order of princess olga first class thank you and [16:12] my tremendous gratitude to mr dimitro lubinets ukrainian parliament commissioner of human rights for the [16:22] incredible bravery and heart you show in serving your people every day thank you imagine a young child [16:33] confined to her home unable to dream of her future because she lives in constant fear we were not born [16:42] to spend our lives hiding in terror watching the sky for drones and missiles or scanning the grounds for [16:51] mines what benefit is there when the lives of innocence are lost forever we are alive to laugh create [17:02] explore and love let olashki be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace the ceasefire [17:15] in olashki would not be possible without president putin and president zelinski their corporation [17:24] establishes a meaningful precedent for advancing peace throughout the region as this historic moment [17:33] conclude i wrote personal letters to president putin and to president zelinski david and carol please [17:44] deliver these letters to your presidents on my behalf i trust you will ensure this safe delivery thank you [17:52] thank you everybody thank you beautiful thank you your dedication brings hope and dignity to those [18:20] the rest of the nation and the rest of the nation is devastated by war thank you freedom exists only when [18:26] the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition a free world is one where people can [18:36] live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely beneath the sun we must have promise of life [18:47] without oppression for a brief period olashki residents enjoyed relief from the psychological horrors of war [18:58] for innocent people living in the shadow of a war freedom is more personal than we can fully understand [19:06] it is found in the simplest moments of life last week in olashki and neighboring areas of kirchen [19:17] people experience the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022 they walk down familiar streets [19:27] without fear of explosions a brave american journalist entered the war-torn region to documented the wishes [19:39] of olenski's residents working in the true spirit of journalism newsmax provided transparency accountability [19:49] and protections to safeguard the truth thanks to those journalists who are with us here today thank you [20:01] the leaders of russia and ukraine work to establish calm food clean water and medicine enter the era and [20:12] nearly 80 people 800 people left their homes in search of safety loved ones and a renewed sense of being [20:22] mr david akaromania faction leader of the servant of people party of ukraine is also with us today [20:34] please join me and say a few words i have a speech but i think uh while hearing everyone i will speak [20:47] from my heart first madam first lady i would like to thank you you did amazing job i think when everything [20:54] started with you to you and your team we had about five percent people who believed in success and 95 [21:01] percent of skeptics who say it's not going to work now after it happened it switched completely vice versa [21:07] so now 95 of the people believe that we could do things like that and five percent are still skeptical [21:14] but the work is going on and i would like to personally thank mark backman because without mark i think [21:22] nothing nothing would happen would be happening it's 24 hours work it's one thing it's to agree [21:27] things on political level and then another thing is to execute things on an execution level and it [21:34] requires a lot of people you know a human rights commissioner on both sides it has a lot of challenges [21:39] you know people have to learn how to keep this agreements in place and i think that besides a really [21:47] really big i think the biggest de-escalation since 2022 that we achieved for five days people first [21:53] day people in herson not only in aleshki but people in herson who were staying at hopes first day they [21:59] did not believe it's happening so they were sitting continue to sit at homes next day because the clock [22:04] is ticking backwards you know they started to go and start walking around their homes and next day [22:10] they started to actually come to see their broken homes and you know like finding their belongings and so on [22:16] so this is really really uh emotional part you know like to even to watch and supervise to understand [22:23] what we are doing i think that what we are doing we are creating a momentum where both sides are learning [22:30] this little mechanics how to actually keep the peace when the peace comes it is also very important [22:38] initiative that i would like to sincerely uh uh thank you for you know from the from my heart for doing this [22:47] uh guys for a journalist you know like you are you are heroes you know like uh i couldn't go because [22:52] uh i'm a politician you know like we couldn't really do it did it this time but next time i'm definitely [22:58] in you know like on both sides so i would like i would like to ask your assistance you know like to [23:04] have me as well you know like to come to the next uh to the next place and i would like to say say [23:12] thank you to all american people who uh also participated and who donating now to all these [23:19] families you know we're talking about hundreds of families not only people but a lot of pets were [23:27] evacuated right like people were getting the pets you know like they have new homes now i mean you know [23:33] like this is really really big uh big big moment and definitely we would like to ask you to keep going [23:40] and to find new missions and to de-escalate more as much as possible because i'm also a member of [23:47] political track and the political track is more complex it's more difficult and sometimes you know [23:52] like your your mission is above the politics that's what how we call it internally so we have political [23:58] track which sometimes have challenges and then we have above the politics track we should never stop [24:04] and again our president president zelensky sends you the warmest regards and i would like to ask [24:11] our commissioner to he awarded you and mark with the most prestigious awards for what you did already [24:17] and what you will do in the future and thank you for that again thank you thanks thank you very much [24:30] dear first lady on behalf of the president of ukraine and ukrainian nation i would like to give to [24:37] you this state awards for your leadership for your brave heart for saving our people and for returning [24:46] back ukrainian children you did so a lot for us and i have only one uh request from all ukraine please [24:55] continue do your wonderful work and support uh people thank you thank you thank you president zelensky [25:25] and the nation of ukraine for this highest honor the order of princess olga first class thank you and [25:35] my tremendous gratitude to mr dimitro lubinets ukrainian parliament commissioner of human rights for the [25:44] incredible bravery and heart you show in serving your people every day thank you imagine a young child [25:55] confined to her home unable to dream of her future because she lives in constant fear we were not born [26:05] to spend our lives hiding in terror watching the sky for drones and missiles or scanning the grounds for [26:14] mines what benefit is there when the lives of innocence are lost forever we are alive to laugh create [26:25] explore and love let olashki be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace the ceasefire [26:38] in olashki would not be possible without president putin and president zelinski their corporation [26:46] establishes a meaningful precedent for advancing peace throughout the region as this historic moment [26:56] conclude i wrote personal letters to president putin and to president zelinski david and carol [27:06] please deliver these letters to your presidents on my behalf i trust you will ensure this safe delivery [27:14] thank you thank you everybody thank you beautiful thank you [27:34] your dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war thank you freedom exists only [27:46] when the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition a free world is one where [27:56] people can live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely beneath the sun we must have [28:06] promise of life without oppression for a brief period olashki residents enjoyed relief from the psychological horrors of war [28:18] for innocent people living in the shadow of a war freedom is more personal than we can fully understand [28:27] it is found in the simplest moments of life last week in olashki and neighboring areas of kirchen [28:37] people experience the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022 [28:44] they walk down familiar streets without fear good morning and welcome olashki will forever unite [28:56] the brave individuals gathered at the white house today we have chosen humanity over war undeniably [29:07] the lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war i hope olashki inspires greater peace every [29:19] significant transformation begins with a small spark but matters is not the modesty of this beginning but the [29:30] determination to turn into something extraordinary now we must use the courage we brought to olashki to find [29:41] common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people together we can create something more enduring [29:52] than a temporary ceasefire let us use let us see olashki as a spark in a world of darkness capable of [30:03] illuminating the best in humanity build a powerful flame of peace visible to the world ignite hope foster [30:15] cooperation and brightened a path toward lasting peace i became aware of the severity of the humanitarian [30:27] crisis in olashki in september recognizing the urgency i acted immediately and directed my representative mark [30:37] backman to engage with russia and ukraine on my behalf to pursue peace in olashki both nations welcome my [30:46] participation acknowledging that previous efforts to establish a ceasefire in the region had not [30:55] succeed russia and ukraine honor our relationship and agreed to work with me in the capacity of exclusive [31:06] intermediary to establish a ceasefire in olashki and the surrounding kirshen region our share [31:16] objective objective objective objective was to deliver critical humanitarian aid to olashki residents and [31:23] establish safe evacuation route for civilians my role as exclusive intermediary was memorialized in written [31:34] agreements drafted and signed by both russia and ukraine mark and i began our work using the communication [31:44] channels we had previously previously previously established to reunite children with their families [31:51] in russia and ukraine humanitarian military and government officials from russia and ukraine work diligently [32:01] to coordinate every aspect of the operation i was involved in every stage of the planning i review the mining [32:13] plans aerial images assessed roadways and discussed evacuation routes hospital access vehicles and medical [32:23] resources i was made aware of the preferred dates and timing of the operation my communication with russia [32:34] and ukraine was extensive professional detailed and highly cooperative mark and i did everything possible [32:44] to support both nations in advancing their shared commitment to reach a ceasefire in olashki we fulfilled our [32:55] responsibilities at every stage collaborating with russia and ukraine teams through completion russia and ukraine [33:06] signed agreements in both languages on friday october 23rd 2026 i commend both sides for your good faith [33:17] efforts to define and implement all components of this sophisticated ceasefire i would like to welcome mr kirill [33:28] dimitrov special envoy to president putin of the russian federation to the podium to say a few words [33:36] dear first lady melania trump distinguished guests dear friends each of us is unique each of us can make a [33:57] contribution that no one else can and sometimes our greatest step is the simplest act of humanity [34:06] on behalf of president putin on behalf of people of the russian federation we would like to thank first [34:12] lady melania trump for her distinguished humanitarian role in resolving alashki situation and resolving this [34:24] humanitarian issue she played a crucial leadership role in coordinating humanitarian operation in [34:31] olashki and reunifying russian and ukrainian families in ensuring that agreements become actions [34:39] and actions save lives president putin personally gave all of the necessary instructions to ensure the [34:47] successful implementation of the local ceasefire in olashki ukrainian site abided by ceasefire and this [34:54] humanitarian mission shows what can be achieved when compassion determination and cooperation come [35:02] together also security services military services commissioners for human rights mr lubinets miss lantratova [35:12] for russia in ukraine played a critical role in ensuring this operation and success of course mark [35:18] backman advised the first lady with whom we interacted on a daily basis played an absolutely important role in [35:24] making sure that this operation is a success as well and many residents of olashki decided to stay and [35:30] received humanitarian help some decided to relocate and very important that humanitarian deliveries will continue [35:39] today we also honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice remember russian military demeanor [35:46] sergeant andrei vidernikov who died in this operation uh by ensuring its success and our thoughts are with his wife [35:55] uh his uh two children uh his uh two children uh and his families madam first lady your humanitarian work [36:03] supported by president putin and commission on children rights maria lvova belova succeeded in reunifying 34 [36:11] children with their families in ukraine in russia and we know that your work will continue to ensure that [36:17] families come together and the children are protected president putin also appreciates president trump's peacemaking [36:26] effort and his team working on a peace plan to resolve ukrainian crisis president trump has asked president putin [36:36] to support a number of initiatives on exchanging of prisoners on releasing u.s prisoners on humanitarian efforts [36:44] and president putin supported those ideas and those initiatives and it's very important that cooperation [36:51] between russia and ukraine and russia and the united states matters not only for our two nations [36:58] but for the entire world let us continue making great humanitarian contributions we can together let [37:05] us build a future of peace partnership and prosperity for the benefit of our families our children and future [37:12] generations dear milania you saved and touched so many lives as a token of appreciation we'd like to give you [37:21] a small gift which is a painting by 11 year old girl lydia from aleshki who chose to be living with her family [37:32] in russia in topsia and this beautiful drawing says just three words i love milania and this message from [37:42] children frankly overshadows any diplomatic statement anybody can make so thank you so much first lady thank you [37:51] for your incredible humanitarian work thank you carol thank you for a corporation and professionalism [38:21] my deepest appreciation to miss anna lantratova commissioner for human rights in the russian federation [38:32] your dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war thank you freedom exists only when [38:42] the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition a free world is one where [38:51] people can live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely beneath the sun [39:00] we must have promise of life without oppression for a brief period olashki residents enjoyed relief [39:10] from the psychological horrors of war for innocent people living in the shadow of a war freedom is more [39:19] personal than we can fully understand it is found in the simplest moments of life last week in olashki [39:30] and neighboring areas of kirschen people experience the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022 [39:39] they walked down familiar streets without fear of explosions four brave american journalists entered the [39:51] war-torn region to documented the wishes of olanski's residents working in the true spirit of journalism [40:01] newsmax provided transparency accountability and protections to safeguard the truth thanks to those journalists [40:12] who are with us here today thank you the leaders of russia and ukraine work to establish calm food clean water and [40:24] medicine enter the era and nearly 80 people 800 people left their homes in search of safety loved ones [40:35] and a renewed sense of being mr david akaromaniya faction leader of the servant of people party of ukraine [40:47] is also with us today please join me and say a few words i have a speech but i think while hearing [41:02] everyone i will speak from my heart first madam first lady i would like to thank you you did amazing [41:08] job i think when everything started with utu and your team we had about five percent people who believed [41:15] in success and 95 of skeptics who say it's not going to work now after it happened it switched completely [41:22] vice versa so now 95 of the people believe that we could do things like that and five percent are still [41:30] skeptical but the work is going on and i would like to personally thank mark backman because without mark [41:38] i think nothing would happen would be happening it's 24 hours work it's one thing it's to agree things on [41:43] political level and then another thing is to execute things on an execution level and it requires a lot of [41:51] people you know a human rights commissioner on both sides it has a lot of challenges you know people [41:56] have to learn how to keep this agreements in place and i think that uh besides a really really big i think [42:04] the biggest there is de-escalation since 2022 that we achieved for five days people first day people in [42:10] herson not only in oleski but people in herson who were staying at hopes first day they did not believe [42:15] it's case happening so they were sitting continue to sit at homes next day because the clock is ticking [42:21] backwards you know they started to go and start walking around their homes and next day they started [42:26] to actually come to see their broken homes and you know like the finding their belongings and so on so [42:32] this is really really uh emotional part you know like to even to watch and supervise to understand what [42:39] we are doing i think that what we are doing we are creating a momentum where both sides are learning [42:46] this little mechanics how to actually keep the peace when the peace comes it is also very important [42:54] initiative that i would like to sincerely uh uh thank you for you know from the from my heart for doing [43:02] this uh guys for a journalist you know like you are you are heroes you know like uh i couldn't go because [43:09] i'm a politician you know like we couldn't really do it this time but next time i'm definitely in you know [43:14] like on both sides but i would like i would like to ask your assistance you know like to have me as [43:20] well you know like to come to the next uh to the next place and i would like to say say thank you to [43:28] all american people who also participated and who donating now to all these families you know we're talking [43:36] about hundreds of families not only people but also a lot of pets were evacuated right like people were [43:44] getting their pets you know like they have new homes now i mean you know like this is really really [43:48] big uh big big moment and definitely we would like to ask you to keep going and to find new missions [43:56] and to de-escalate more as much as possible because i'm also a member of political track [44:02] and the political track is more complex it's more difficult and sometimes you know like your your mission [44:08] is above the politics that's what how we call it internally so we have political track which sometimes [44:13] have challenges and then we have above the politics track we should never stop and again uh our [44:20] president president zelensky sends you the warmest regards and i would like to ask our commissioner to [44:26] he awarded you and mark with the most prestigious awards for what you did already and what you will [44:32] do in the future and thank you for that again thank you thanks thank you very much thank you dear first [44:45] lady on behalf of the president of ukraine and ukrainian nation i would like to give to you this state [44:53] awards for your leadership for your brave heart for saving our people and for returning back ukrainian [45:01] children you did so a lot for us and i have only one uh request from all ukrainian nation please continue [45:10] do your wonderful work and support uh people thank you thank you thank you president zelinski and the [45:41] nation of ukraine for this highest honor the order of princess olga first class thank you and my tremendous [45:50] gratitude to mr dimitro lubinets ukrainian parliament commissioner of human rights for the incredible bravery [46:00] and heart you show in serving your people every day thank you imagine a young child confined to her [46:11] home unable to dream of her future because she lives in constant fear we were not born to spend our lives [46:20] hiding in terror watching the sky for drones and missiles or scanning the grounds for mines what benefit [46:31] is there when the lives of innocence are lost forever we are alive to laugh create explore and love let [46:42] olashki be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace the ceasefire in olashki would not be [46:54] possible without president putin and president zelinski their corporation establishes a meaningful presented [47:03] for advancing peace throughout the region as this historic moment conclude i wrote personal letters [47:13] to president putin and to president zelinski david and carol please delivered these letters to your [47:23] presidents on my behalf i trust you will ensure this safe delivery thank you thank you everybody thank you [47:46] beautiful good morning and welcome olashki will forever unite the brave individuals gathered at the [47:58] white house today we have chosen humanity over war undeniably the lives of innocent people must [48:09] transcend the division of war i hope olashki inspires greater peace every significant transformation begins [48:21] with a small spark but matters is not the modesty of this beginning but the determination to turn into [48:32] something extraordinary now we must use the courage we brought to olashki to find common ground [48:41] through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people together we can create something more [48:49] more enduring than a temporary ceasefire let us use let us see olashki as a spark in a world of darkness capable [49:02] of illuminating the best in humanity build a powerful flame of peace visible to the world ignite hope foster [49:14] cooperation and brighten a path toward lasting peace i became aware of the severity of the humanitarian crisis [49:26] in olashki in olashki in september recognizing the urgency i acted immediately and directed my representative mark [49:35] backman to engage with russia and ukraine on my behalf to pursue peace in olashki both nations welcome my [49:45] participation acknowledging that previous efforts to establish a ceasefire in the region had not succeed russia [49:57] and ukraine honor our relationship and agreed to work with me in the capacity of exclusive intermediary [50:06] to establish a ceasefire in olashki and the surrounding kirshen region our shared objective was to deliver [50:18] critical humanitarian aid to olashki residents and establish a safe evacuation route for civilians my role as [50:28] as exclusive intermediary was memorialized in written agreements drafted and signed by both russia and ukraine [50:37] mark and i began our work using the communication channels we had previously previously established to [50:47] unite children with their families in russia and ukraine humanitarian military and government officials from russia and ukraine [50:58] work diligently work diligently to coordinate every aspect of the operation i was involved in every stage [51:11] of the planning i reviewed the mining plans aerial images assessed roadways and discussed evacuation routes [51:21] hospital access vehicles and medical resources i was made aware of the preferred dates and timing of the operation [51:32] my communication with russia and ukraine was extensive professional detailed and highly cooperative mark and [51:43] i did everything possible to support both nations in advancing their shared commitment to reach a ceasefire [51:52] in olashki we fulfilled our responsibilities at every stage collaborating with russia and ukraine teams [52:02] through completion russia and ukraine signed agreements in both languages on friday october 23rd 2026 [52:14] i commend both sides for your good faith efforts to define and implement all components of this [52:23] sophisticated ceasefire i would like to welcome mr kirill dimitrov special envoy to president putin of the russian [52:34] federation to the russian federation to the russian federation to the podium to say a few words dear [52:49] first lady melania trump distinguished guests dear friends each of us is unique each of us can make a [52:58] contribution that no one else can and sometimes our greatest step is the simplest act of humanity [53:08] on behalf of president putin on behalf of people of the russian federation we would like to thank first [53:13] first lady melania trump for her distinguished humanitarian role in resolving olashki situation and [53:24] resolving this humanitarian issue she played a crucial leadership role in coordinating humanitarian [53:31] operation in olashki and reunifying russian and ukrainian families in ensuring that agreements become [53:39] actions and actions and actions save lives president putin personally gave all of the necessary instructions [53:47] to ensure the successful implementation of the local ceasefire in olashki ukrainian side abided by [53:54] ceasefire and this humanitarian mission shows what can be achieved when compassion determination and [54:01] cooperation come together also security services military services commissioners for human rights mr [54:10] lubinets miss lan tratova for russia and ukraine played a critical role in ensuring this operation and success [54:18] of course mark beckman advisor to first lady with whom we interacted on a daily basis played an [54:23] absolutely important role in making sure that this operation is a success as well and many residents of [54:30] olashki decided to stay and received humanitarian help some decided to relocate and very important that [54:37] humanitarian deliveries will continue today we also honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice we [54:45] remember russian military demeanor sergeant andrei vedernikov who died in this operation uh by ensuring [54:54] its success and our thoughts are with his wife uh his uh two children uh and his families madam first lady your [55:03] humanitarian work supported by president putin and commission on children rights maria lvova belova [55:09] succeeded in reunifying 34 children with their families in ukraine in russia and we know that [55:16] your work will continue to ensure that families come together and the children are protected president [55:24] putin also appreciates president trump's peacemaking effort and his team working on a peace plan to [55:31] resolve ukrainian crisis president trump has asked president putin to support a number of initiatives on [55:40] on exchanging of prisoners on releasing u.s prisoners on humanitarian efforts and president putin supported [55:47] those ideas and those initiatives and it's very important that cooperation between russia and ukraine [55:54] and russia and the united states mattress not only for our two nations but for the entire world let us [56:01] continue making great humanitarian contributions we can together let us build a future of peace partnership [56:08] and prosperity for the benefit of our families our children and future generations dear milania [56:16] you saved and touched so many lives as a token of appreciation we'd like to give you a small gift [56:23] which is a painting by 11 year old girl lydia from oleshki who chose to be living with your family [56:32] in russia in russia and this beautiful drawing says just three words i love milania and this message [56:43] from children frankly overshadows any diplomatic statement anybody can make so thank you so much [56:50] first lady thank you for your incredible humanitarian work thank you so much carol thank you for a corporation [57:20] and professionalism my deepest appreciation to miss anna lantratova commissioner for human rights [57:31] in the russian federation your dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war thank you [57:40] freedom exists only when the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition [57:49] a free world is one where people can live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely beneath [58:00] the sun we must have promise of life without oppression for a brief period olashki residents enjoyed relief [58:11] from the psychological horrors of war for innocent people living in the shadow of a war freedom is more [58:20] personal than we can fully understand it is found in the simplest moments of life last week in olashki and [58:31] neighboring areas of kirschen people experience the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022 [58:40] they walk down familiar streets without fear of explosions a brave american journalist entered the war-torn [58:53] region region to documented the wishes of olenski's residents working in the true spirit of journalism newsmax [59:03] provided transparency accountability and protections to safeguard the truth thanks to those journalists [59:13] who are with us here today thank you the leaders of russia and ukraine work to establish calm food clean water [59:25] and medicine entered the era and nearly 80 people 800 people left their homes in search of safety [59:35] loved ones and a renewed sense of being mr david akaromania faction leader of the servant of people party of [59:48] ukraine is also with us today please join me and say a few words i have a speech but i think [1:00:01] uh while uh hearing everyone i will speak from my heart first madam first lady i would like to thank you you [1:00:08] did amazing job i think uh when everything started with utu and your team we had about five percent [1:00:15] people who believed in success and 95 of skeptics who say it's not gonna work now after it happened [1:00:22] it switched completely vice versa so now 95 of the people believe that we could do things like that [1:00:29] and five percent are still skeptical but the work is going on and i would like to uh personally thank [1:00:37] mark backman because without mark i think nothing would happen would be happening it's 24 hours work [1:00:42] it's one thing it's to agree things on political level and then another thing is to execute things [1:00:49] on an execution level and it requires a lot of people you know a human rights commissioner on both sides [1:00:55] it has a lot of challenges you know people have to learn how to keep this agreements in place and i [1:01:01] think that uh besides a really really big i think the biggest there is de-escalation since 2022 that we [1:01:08] achieved for five days people first day people in herson not only in oleski but people in herson [1:01:14] who were staying at hopes first days they did not believe it's happening so they were sitting continue [1:01:19] to sit at homes next day because the clock is ticking backwards you know they started to go and start [1:01:24] walking around their homes and next day they started to actually come to see their broken homes and you [1:01:30] know like the finding their belongings and so on so this is really really uh emotional part you know [1:01:37] like to even to watch and supervise to understand what we are doing i think that what we are doing we are [1:01:42] creating a momentum where both sides are learning this little mechanics how to actually keep the peace [1:01:52] when the peace comes it is also very important initiative that i would like to sincerely uh uh uh [1:01:59] thank you for you know from the from my heart for doing this uh guys for a journalist you know like [1:02:05] you are you are heroes you know like uh i couldn't go because uh i'm a politician you know like we [1:02:12] couldn't really do it this time but next time i'm definitely in you know like on both sides so i would [1:02:17] like i would like i would like to ask your assistance you know like to have me as well you know like to [1:02:22] come to the next uh to the next place and i would like to say say thank you to all american people who [1:02:32] also participated and who donating now to all these families you know we're talking about hundreds of [1:02:38] families not only people but also a lot of pets were evacuated right like people were getting the pets you [1:02:46] know like they have new homes now i mean you know like this is really really big uh big big moment [1:02:52] and definitely we would like to ask you to keep going and to find new missions and to de-escalate [1:02:59] more as much as possible because i'm also a member of political track and the political track is more [1:03:05] complex it's more difficult and sometimes you know like your your mission is above the politics that's [1:03:11] what how we call it internally so we have political track which sometimes have challenges and then we [1:03:16] have above the politics track we should never stop and again uh our president president zelinski sends [1:03:23] you the warmest regards and i would like to ask our commissioner to he awarded you and mark with the [1:03:30] most prestigious awards for what you did already and what you will do in the future and thank you for [1:03:35] that again thank you thanks thank you very much dear first lady on behalf of the president of ukraine and [1:03:49] ukrainian nation i would like to give to you this state awards for your leadership for your brave heart [1:03:58] for saving our people and for returning back ukrainian children you did so a lot for us and i have only one [1:04:07] request from all ukrainian nation please continue do your wonderful work and support uh people thank you [1:04:16] thank you thank you thank you president zelinski and the nation of ukraine for this highest honor [1:04:45] the order of princess olga first class thank you and my tremendous gratitude to mr dimitro lubinets ukrainian [1:04:56] parliament commissioner of human rights for the incredible bravery and heart you show in serving [1:05:03] your people every day thank you imagine a young child confined to her home unable to dream of her future [1:05:15] because she lives in constant fear we were not born to spend our lives hiding in terror watching the sky [1:05:24] for drones and missiles or scanning the grounds for mines what benefit is there when the lives of [1:05:34] innocence are lost forever we are alive to laugh create explore and love let olashki be the modest spark [1:05:46] that grows into a lasting flame of peace the ceasefire in olashki would not be possible without [1:05:56] president putin and president zelinski their corporation establishes a meaningful presented [1:06:04] for advancing peace throughout the region as this historic moment conclude i wrote personal letters [1:06:14] to president putin and to president zelinski david and carol please delivered these letters to your [1:06:24] presidents on my behalf i trust you will ensure this safe delivery thank you thank you everybody thank you [1:06:47] beautiful thank you and welcome olashki will forever unite the brave individuals gathered at the white [1:06:58] house today we have chosen humanity over war undeniably the lives of innocent people must transcend the [1:07:10] division of war i hope olashki is i hope olashki inspires greater peace every significant transformation [1:07:23] begins with a small spark but matters is not the modesty of this beginning but the determination to turn into [1:07:34] something extraordinary now we must use the courage we brought to olashki to find common ground [1:07:43] through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people together we can create something more [1:07:52] more enduring than a temporary ceasefire let us use let us see olashki as a spark in a world of darkness [1:08:03] capable of illuminating the best in humanity build a powerful flame of peace visible to the world ignite hope [1:08:16] foster corporation and brighten a path toward lasting peace i became aware of the severity of the humanitarian [1:08:28] crisis in olashki in september recognizing the urgency i acted immediately and directed my representative mark [1:08:38] backman to engage with russia and ukraine on my behalf to pursue peace in olashki both nations welcome my [1:08:48] participation acknowledging that previous efforts to establish a ceasefire in the region had not succeed russia [1:08:59] and ukraine honor our relationship and agreed to work with me in the capacity of exclusive intermediary to [1:09:09] establish a ceasefire in olashki and the surrounding kershin region our shared objective was to deliver [1:09:20] critical humanitarian aid to olashki residents and establish a safe evacuation route for civilians my role as [1:09:31] as a exclusive intermediary was memorialized in return agreements drafted and signed by both russia [1:09:40] and ukraine mark and i began our work using the communication channels we had previously previously established to [1:09:50] reunite children with their families in russia and ukraine humanitarian military and government officials from russia [1:10:00] and ukraine work diligently to coordinate every aspect of the operation i was involved in every stage of the [1:10:11] planning i reviewed the mining plans aerial images assessed roadways and discussed evacuation routes hospital access [1:10:23] vehicles and medical resources i was made aware of the preferred dates and timing of the operation my [1:10:34] communication with russia and ukraine was extensive professional detailed and highly cooperative mark and [1:10:43] i did everything possible to support both nations in advancing their shared commitment to reach a ceasefire [1:10:52] in olashki we fulfilled our responsibilities at every stage collaborating with russia and ukraine teams [1:11:02] through completion russia and ukraine signed agreements in both languages on friday october 23rd [1:11:13] 2026 i commend both sides for your good faith efforts to define and implement all components of this [1:11:23] sophisticated ceasefire i would like to welcome mr kirill dimitrov special envoy to president putin of the russian [1:11:34] federation to the russian federation to the russian federation to the podium to say a few words [1:11:42] dear first lady melania trump distinguished guests dear friends each of us is unique each of us can make a [1:11:58] contribution that no one else can and sometimes our greatest step is the simplest act of humanity [1:12:08] on behalf of president putin on behalf of people of the russian federation we would like to thank first [1:12:14] first lady melania trump for her distinguished humanitarian role in resolving olashki uh situation [1:12:23] and resolving this humanitarian issue she played a crucial leadership role in coordinating humanitarian [1:12:31] operation in olashki and reunifying russian and ukrainian families in ensuring that agreements [1:12:39] become actions and actions save lives president putin personally gave all of the necessary instructions [1:12:47] to ensure the successful implementation of the local ceasefire in olashki ukrainian side abided by [1:12:54] ceasefire and this humanitarian mission shows what can be achieved when compassion determination and [1:13:02] cooperation come together also security services military services commissioners for human rights mr [1:13:11] lubinets miss lantratova for russia in ukraine played a critical role in ensuring this operation and [1:13:18] success of course mark beckman advisor to first lady with whom we interacted on a daily basis played an [1:13:24] absolutely important role in making sure that this operation is a success as well and many residents of [1:13:30] olashki decided to stay and received humanitarian help some decided to relocate and very important that [1:13:37] humanitarian deliveries will continue today we also honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice remember [1:13:46] russian military demeanor sergeant andrei vedernikov who died in this operation uh by ensuring its success [1:13:55] and our thoughts are with his wife uh his uh two children uh and his families madam first lady your [1:14:03] humanitarian work supported by president putin and commission on children rights maria lvova belova [1:14:09] succeeded in reunifying 34 children with their families in ukraine in russia and we know that your work [1:14:17] will continue to ensure that families come together and the children are protected president putin also [1:14:25] appreciates president trump's peacemaking effort and his team working on a peace plan to resolve ukrainian [1:14:33] crisis president trump has asked president putin to support a number of initiatives on exchanging of [1:14:41] prisoners on releasing u.s prisoners on humanitarian efforts and president putin supported those ideas [1:14:49] and those initiatives and it's very important that cooperation between russia and ukraine and russia [1:14:55] and the united states mattress not only for our two nations but for the entire world let us continue making [1:15:03] great humanitarian contributions we can together let us build a future of peace partnership and prosperity [1:15:10] for the benefit of our families our children and future generations dear milania you saved and touched [1:15:18] so many lives as a token of appreciation we'd like to give you a small gift which is a painting by 11 year [1:15:27] old girl lydia from aleshki who chose to be living with her family in russia in topse and this beautiful [1:15:37] drawing says just three words i love milania and this message from children frankly overshadows any [1:15:46] diplomatic statement anybody can make so thank you so much first lady thank you for your incredible [1:15:53] humanitarian work thank you very much thank you carol thank you for incorporation and professionalism [1:16:25] my deepest appreciation to miss anna lantratova commissioner for human rights in the russian federation [1:16:34] your dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war thank you freedom exists only when [1:16:43] the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition a free world is one where [1:16:53] people can live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely beneath the sun we must have [1:17:03] promise of life without oppression for a brief period olashki residents enjoyed relief from the psychological [1:17:13] horrors of war for innocent people living in the shadow of war freedom is more personal than we can fully [1:17:22] understand it is found in the simplest moments of life last week in olashki and neighboring areas of [1:17:33] kirschen people experience the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022 they walk down familiar [1:17:43] streets without fear of explosions four brave american journalists entered the war-torn region to documented [1:17:55] the wishes of olanski's residents working in the true spirit of journalism newsmax provided transparency [1:18:05] accountability and protections to safeguard the truth thanks to those journalists who are with us here today [1:18:15] thank you the leaders of russia and ukraine work to establish calm food clean water and medicine enter the [1:18:27] era and nearly 80 people 800 people left their homes in search of safety loved ones and a renewed sense of [1:18:38] being mr david akaromania faction leader of the servant of people party of ukraine is also with us today please join me [1:18:53] and say a few words i have a speech but i think while hearing everyone i will speak from my heart first [1:19:06] madam first lady i would like to thank you you did amazing job i think when everything started with you [1:19:13] to you and your team we had about five percent people who believed in success and 95 of skeptics who say [1:19:19] it's not going to work now after it happened it switched completely vice versa so now 95 of the people [1:19:27] believe that we could do things like that and five percent are still skeptical but the work is going [1:19:33] on and i would like to personally thank mark backman because without mark i think nothing would happen [1:19:40] would be happening it's 24 hours work it's one thing it's to agree things on political level and then [1:19:47] another thing is to execute things on an execution level and it requires a lot of people you know a human [1:19:53] rights commissioner on both sides it has a lot of challenges you know people have to learn how to [1:19:59] keep this agreements in place and i think that uh besides a really really big i think the biggest [1:20:06] there is the escalation since 2022 that we achieved for five days people first day people in haerson not [1:20:12] only in a leshki but people in harrison who were staying at hopes first day they did not believe it's [1:20:17] case happening so they were sitting continue to sit at homes next day because the clock is ticking [1:20:22] backwards you know they started to go and start walking around their homes and next day they started [1:20:28] to actually come to see their broken homes and you know like the finding their belongings and so on so [1:20:34] this is really really uh emotional part you know like to even to watch and supervise to understand what [1:20:40] we are doing i think that what we are doing we are creating a momentum where both sides are learning [1:20:47] this little uh mechanics how to actually keep the peace when the peace comes it is also very important [1:20:55] initiative that i would like to sincerely uh uh thank you for you know from the from my heart for doing [1:21:03] this uh guys for a journalist you know like you are you are heroes you know like uh i couldn't go because [1:21:10] uh i'm a politician you know like we couldn't really do it this time but next time i'm definitely in you [1:21:15] you know like on both sides i would like i would like to ask your assistance you know like to have [1:21:21] me as well you know like to come to the next uh to the next place and uh i would like to say say thank [1:21:29] you to all american people who also participated and who donating now to all these families you know [1:21:37] we're talking about hundreds of families not only people but also a lot of pets were evacuated right [1:21:44] like people were getting their pets you know like they have new homes now i mean you know like this [1:21:49] is really really big big big moment and definitely we would like to ask you to keep going and to find [1:21:56] new missions and to de-escalate more as much as possible because i'm also a member of political track [1:22:04] and the political track is more complex it's more difficult and sometimes you know like your your mission [1:22:09] is above the politics that's what how we call it internally so we have political track which [1:22:14] sometimes have challenges and then we have above the politics track we should never stop and again [1:22:21] our president president zelensky sends you the warmest regards and i would like to ask our commissioner [1:22:27] to he awarded you and mark with the most prestigious awards for what you did already and what you will do [1:22:34] in the future and thank you for that again thank you thank you very much dear first lady on behalf of [1:22:47] the president of ukraine and ukrainian nation i would like to give to you this state awards for your [1:22:55] leadership for your brave heart for saving our people and for returning back ukrainian children you [1:23:03] did so a lot for us and i have only one uh request from all ukrainian nation please continue do your [1:23:12] wonderful work and support uh people thank you thank you so much thank you thank you president zelensky [1:23:42] and the nation of ukraine for this highest honor the order of princess olga first class thank you [1:23:50] and my tremendous gratitude to mr dimitro lubinets ukrainian parliament commissioner of human rights [1:23:59] for the incredible bravery and heart you show in serving your people every day thank you imagine a young [1:24:10] child confined to her home unable to dream of her future because she lives in constant fear we were not [1:24:19] born to spend our lives hiding in terror watching the sky for drones and missiles or scanning the grounds [1:24:29] for mines what benefit is there when the lives of innocence are lost forever we are alive to laugh [1:24:40] create explore and love let olashki be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace the [1:24:52] ceasefire in olashki would not be possible without president putin and president zelinski their [1:25:00] corporation establishes a meaningful precedent for advancing peace throughout the region as this [1:25:10] historic moment conclude i wrote personal letters to president putin and to president zelensky david and [1:25:20] carroll please delivered these letters to your presidents on my behalf i trust you will ensure this safe [1:25:28] delivery thank you thank you thank you everybody thank you beautiful thank you and welcome olashki will [1:25:54] forever unite the brave individuals gathered at the white house today we have chosen humanity over war [1:26:05] undeniably the lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war i hope olashki i hope olashki inspires [1:26:19] greater peace every significant transformation begins with a small spark but matters is not the modesty of this [1:26:30] beginning but the determination to turn into something extraordinary now we must use the courage [1:26:40] we brought to olashki to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people [1:26:48] together we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire let us use let us see olashki as a [1:27:00] spark in a world of darkness capable of illuminating the best in humanity build a powerful flame of peace [1:27:11] visible to the world ignite hope foster cooperation and brighten a path toward lasting peace i became aware of [1:27:26] the severity of the humanitarian crisis in olashki in september recognizing the urgency i acted immediately [1:27:36] and directed my representative mark backman to engage with russia and ukraine on my behalf to pursue peace in [1:27:44] in olashki both nations welcome my participation acknowledging that previous efforts to establish [1:27:53] a ceasefire in the region had not succeed russia and ukraine honor our relationship and agree to work [1:28:04] with me in the capacity of exclusive intermediary to establish a ceasefire in olashki and the surrounding [1:28:14] kershin region our shared objective objective was to deliver critical humanitarian aid to olashki [1:28:23] residents and establish a safe evacuation route for civilians my role as an exclusive intermediary was [1:28:34] memorialized in written agreements drafted and signed by both russia and ukraine mark and i began our work [1:28:44] using the communication channels we had previously previously established to reunite children with their [1:28:52] families in russia and ukraine humanitarian military and government officials from russia and ukraine work [1:29:02] diligently to coordinate every aspect of the operation i was involved in every stage of the planning i reviewed [1:29:14] the mining plans aerial images assessed roadways and discussed evacuation routes hospital access vehicles [1:29:24] and medical resources i was made aware of the preferred dates and timing of the operation my communication [1:29:35] with russia and ukraine was extensive professional detailed and highly cooperative mark and i did everything [1:29:45] possible to support both nations in advancing their shared commitment to reach a ceasefire in olashki we fulfilled our [1:29:56] responsibilities at every stage collaborating with russia and ukraine teams through completion russia and ukraine [1:30:07] signed agreements in both languages on friday october 23rd 2026 i commend both sides for your good faith efforts [1:30:19] to define and implement all components of this sophisticated ceasefire i would like to welcome mr kirill dimitrov [1:30:31] special envoy to president putin of the russian federation to the podium to say a few words [1:30:42] dear first lady melania trump distinguished guests dear friends each of us is unique each of us can make a [1:30:58] contribution that no one else can and sometimes our greatest step is the simplest act of humanity [1:31:08] on behalf of president putin on behalf of people of the russian federation we would like to thank first [1:31:14] lady melania trump for her distinguished humanitarian role in resolving alashki situation and resolving this [1:31:25] humanitarian issue she played a crucial leadership role in coordinating humanitarian operation in olashki and [1:31:34] reunifying russian and ukrainian families in ensuring that agreements become actions and actions save lives [1:31:43] president putin personally gave all of the necessary instructions to ensure the successful implementation [1:31:50] of the local ceasefire in olashki ukrainian side abided by ceasefire and this humanitarian mission [1:31:57] shows what can be achieved when compassion determination and cooperation come together also security [1:32:06] services military services commissioners for human rights mr lubinets miss lantratova for russia in ukraine [1:32:15] played a critical role in ensuring this operation and success of course mark beckman advisor to first [1:32:21] lady with whom we interacted on a daily basis played an absolutely important role in making sure that this [1:32:27] operation is a success as well and many residents of olashki decided to stay and received humanitarian help [1:32:34] some decided to relocate and very important that humanitarian deliveries will continue today we also [1:32:42] honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice we remember russian military the miner sergeant andrei vidernikov [1:32:51] who died in this operation uh by ensuring its success and our thoughts are with his wife uh his [1:32:58] uh two children uh two children uh and his families madam first lady your humanitarian work supported by [1:33:05] president putin and commissioner on children's rights maria lvova belova succeeded in reunifying 34 [1:33:12] children with their families in ukraine in russia and we know that your work will continue to ensure that [1:33:19] families come together and the children are protected president putin also appreciates president trump's [1:33:27] peacemaking effort and his team working on a peace plan to resolve ukrainian crisis president trump has [1:33:37] asked president putin to support a number of initiatives on exchanging of prisoners on releasing u.s [1:33:43] prisoners on humanitarian efforts and president putin supported those ideas and those initiatives [1:33:50] and it's very important that cooperation between russia and ukraine [1:33:53] uh and russia and the united states matters not only for our two nations but for the entire world let [1:34:02] us continue making great humanitarian contributions we can together let us build a future of peace partnership [1:34:09] and prosperity for the benefit of our families our children and future generations dear milania you saved [1:34:17] and touched so many lives as a token of appreciation we'd like to give you a small gift [1:34:23] uh which is a painting by 11 year old gold lydia from aleshki who chose to be living with her family [1:34:32] uh in russia in topsia and this beautiful drawing says just three words i love milania and this message [1:34:44] from children uh frankly overshadows any diplomatic statement anybody can make so thank you so much first [1:34:51] lady thank you for your incredible humanitarian work thank you carol thank you for your corporation [1:35:21] and professionalism my deepest appreciation to miss anna lantratova commissioner for human rights [1:35:32] in the russian federation your dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war thank you [1:35:40] freedom exists only when the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition [1:35:50] a free world is one where people can live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely [1:36:00] beneath the sun we must have promise of life without oppression for a brief period [1:36:09] olashki residents enjoyed relief from the psychological horrors of war for innocent people living in the shadow of war [1:36:19] freedom is more personal than we can fully understand it is found in the simplest moments of life [1:36:30] last week in olashki and neighboring areas of kirchen people experience the simple joys of life for the [1:36:38] first time since 2022 they walked down familiar streets without fear of explosions four brave american [1:36:51] journalists entered the war-torn region to documented the wishes of olenski's residents working in the true [1:37:00] spirit of journalism newsmax provided transparency accountability and protections to safeguard the truth [1:37:10] thanks to those journalists who are with us here today thank you the leaders of russia and ukraine work to [1:37:22] establish calm food clean water and medicine enter the era and nearly 80 people 800 people left their [1:37:33] homes in search of safety loved ones and a renewed sense of being mr david akaromania faction leader of the [1:37:47] servant of people party of ukraine is also with us today please join me and say a few words i have a [1:38:00] speech but i think while hearing everyone i will speak from my heart first madam first lady i would like [1:38:08] to thank you you did amazing job i think when everything started with utu in your team we had about [1:38:15] five percent people who believed in success and 95 percent of skeptics who say it's not gonna work now after it [1:38:22] happened it switched completely vice versa so now 95 of the people believe that we could do things like [1:38:29] that and five percent are still skeptical but the work is going on and i would like to personally thank [1:38:37] mark backman because without mark i think nothing would happen would be happening is 24 hours work [1:38:43] it's one thing it's to agree things on political level and then another thing is to execute things on [1:38:49] an execution level and it requires a lot of people you know a human rights commissioner on both sides [1:38:55] it has a lot of challenges you know people have to learn how to keep this agreements in place and i think [1:39:02] that uh besides a really really big i think the biggest there is the escalation since 2022 that we [1:39:09] achieved for five days people first day people in hair so not only in a lashki but people in harrison who [1:39:14] were staying at hopes first days they did not believe it's case happening so they were sitting continue to [1:39:19] sit at homes next day because the clock is ticking backwards you know they started to go and start [1:39:25] walking around their homes and next day they started to actually come to see their broken homes and you [1:39:31] know like the finding their belongings and so on so this is really really uh emotional part you know like [1:39:38] to even to watch and supervise to understand what we are doing i think that what we are doing we are [1:39:43] creating a momentum where both sides are learning this little mechanics how to actually keep the peace [1:39:53] when the peace comes it is also very important initiative that i would like to sincerely uh thank you [1:40:00] for you know from the for my heart for doing this uh guys for a journalist you know like you are you are [1:40:07] heroes you know like uh i couldn't go because uh i'm a politician you know like we couldn't really [1:40:13] do it this time but next time i'm definitely in you know like on both sides so i would like i would [1:40:19] like to ask your assistance you know like to have me as well you know like to come to the next uh [1:40:24] to the next place and uh i would like to say say thank you to all american people who [1:40:31] uh also participated and who donating now to all these families you know we're talking about [1:40:38] hundreds of families not only people but a lot of pets were evacuated right like people were getting [1:40:46] the pets you know like they have new homes now i mean you know like this is really really big [1:40:51] big big moment and definitely we would like to ask you to keep going and to find new missions and to [1:40:59] de-escalate more as much as possible because i'm also a member of political track and the political [1:41:05] track is more complex it's more difficult and sometimes you know like your your mission is above [1:41:10] the politics that's what how we call it internally so we have political track which sometimes have [1:41:15] challenges and then we have above the politics track we should never stop and again uh our president [1:41:22] president zelensky sends you the warmest regards and i would like to ask our commissioner to he [1:41:28] awarded you and mark with the most prestigious awards for what you did already and what you will do [1:41:34] in the future and thank you for that again thank you thanks thank you very much dear first lady on [1:41:47] behalf of the president of ukraine and ukrainian nation i would like to give to you this state award for [1:41:55] your leadership for your brave heart for saving our people and for returning back ukrainian children [1:42:04] you did so a lot for us and i have only one request from all ukrainian nation please continue do your [1:42:12] wonderful work and support uh people thank you thank you so much thank you thank you president zelinski [1:42:42] and the nation of ukraine for this highest honor the order of princess olga first class thank you and my [1:42:51] tremendous gratitude to mr dimitro lubinets ukrainian parliament commissioner of human rights for the [1:43:00] incredible bravery and heart you show in serving your people every day thank you imagine a young child [1:43:11] confined to her home unable to dream of her future because she lives in constant fear we were not born to [1:43:20] spend our lives hiding in terror watching the sky for drones and missiles or scanning the grounds for [1:43:29] mines what benefit is there when the lives of innocence are lost forever we are alive to laugh create [1:43:41] explore and love let olashki be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace the ceasefire in [1:43:54] olashki would not be possible without president putin and president zelinski their corporation establishes a [1:44:03] meaningful precedent for advancing peace throughout the region as this historic moment conclude i wrote personal [1:44:14] letters to president putin and to president zelenski david and carol please delivered these letters to your presidents on my behalf [1:44:26] i trust you will ensure this safe delivery thank you thank you everybody thank you beautiful thank you and welcome [1:44:51] olashki will forever unite the brave individuals gathered at the white house today we have chosen humanity [1:45:03] over war undeniably the lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war i hope olashki [1:45:16] i hope olashki inspires greater peace every significant transformation begins with a small spark but matters is not [1:45:29] the modesty of this beginning but the determination to turn into something extraordinary now we must use [1:45:40] the courage we brought to olashki to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent [1:45:48] people together together we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire let us use [1:45:58] let us see olashki as a spark in a world of darkness capable of illuminating the best in humanity build a [1:46:10] powerful flame of peace visible to the world ignite hope foster corporation and brighten a path toward lasting peace [1:46:22] peace i became aware of the severity of the humanitarian crisis in olashki in september recognizing the [1:46:33] urgency i acted immediately and directed my representative mark backman to engage with russia and ukraine on [1:46:42] my behalf to pursue peace in olashki both nations welcome my participation acknowledging that previous efforts [1:46:53] to establish a ceasefire to establish a ceasefire in the region had not succeed russia and ukraine honor our [1:47:02] relationship and agreed to work with me in the capacity of exclusive intermediary to establish a ceasefire [1:47:11] a ceasefire in olashki in olashki and surrounding kershen region our share objective objective was to deliver [1:47:21] critical humanitarian aid to olashki residents and establish a safe evacuation route for civilians my role [1:47:31] as exclusive intermediary was memorialized in written agreements drafted and signed by both russia and ukraine [1:47:43] mark and i began our work using the communication channels we had previously previously established to [1:47:50] reunite children with their families in russia and ukraine humanitarian military and government officials [1:48:00] from russia and ukraine work diligently to coordinate every aspect of the operation i was involved in every [1:48:11] stage of the planning i reviewed the mining plans aerial images assessed roadways and discussed evacuation routes [1:48:22] hospital access vehicles and medical resources i was made aware of the preferred dates and timing [1:48:31] of the operation my communication with russia and ukraine was extensive professional detailed and highly [1:48:41] cooperative mark and i did everything possible to support both nations in advancing their 26. i commend [1:48:53] both sides for your good faith efforts to define and implement all components of this sophisticated [1:49:01] ceasefire i would like to welcome mr kirill dimitrov special envoy to president putin of the russian [1:49:10] federation to the russian federation to the russian federation to the podium to say a few words [1:49:14] dear first lady melania trump distinguished guests dear friends each of us is unique each of us can [1:49:34] make a contribution that no one else can and sometimes our greatest step is the simplest act of humanity [1:49:44] on behalf of president putin on behalf of people of the russian federation we would like to thank first lady melania trump [1:49:51] for her distinguished humanitarian role in resolving aleshki situation and resolving this humanitarian issue [1:50:03] she played a crucial leadership role in coordinating humanitarian operation in aleshki and reunifying russian [1:50:11] and ukrainian families in ensuring that agreements become actions and actions save lives president putin [1:50:21] personally gave all of the necessary instructions to ensure the successful implementation of the [1:50:26] local ceasefire in aleshki ukrainian side abided by ceasefire and this humanitarian mission shows [1:50:34] what can be achieved when compassion determination and cooperation come together also security services [1:50:43] military services commissioners for human rights mr lubinets miss lantratova for russia in ukraine [1:50:51] played a critical role in ensuring this operation and success of course mark backman advisor to first [1:50:57] lady with whom we interacted on a daily basis played an absolutely important role in making sure that [1:51:02] this operation is a success as well and many residents of aleshki decided to stay and received humanitarian [1:51:09] help some decided to relocate and very important that humanitarian deliveries will continue today we also [1:51:18] honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice remember russian military demeanor sergeant andrei vedernikov who [1:51:27] died in this operation uh by ensuring its success and our thoughts are with his wife uh his uh two children [1:51:36] and his families madam first lady your humanitarian work supported by president putin and commission on [1:51:43] children's rights maria lvova belova succeeded in reunifying 34 children with their families in ukraine [1:51:51] in russia and we know that your work will continue to ensure that families come together and the [1:51:57] children are protected president putin also appreciates president trump's peacemaking effort and his team [1:52:06] working on a peace plan to resolve ukrainian crisis president trump has asked president putin to support a number [1:52:15] of initiatives on exchanging of prisoners on releasing u.s prisoners on humanitarian efforts and president [1:52:23] putin supported those ideas and those initiatives and it's very important that cooperation between [1:52:29] russia and ukraine and russia and the united states mattress not only for our two nations but for the entire [1:52:37] world let us continue making great humanitarian contributions we can together let us build a future of [1:52:44] peace partnership and prosperity for the benefit of our families our children and future generations [1:52:52] dear milania you saved and touched so many lives as a token of appreciation we'd like to give you a small [1:52:59] gift which is a painting by 11 year old gold lidia from aleshki who chose to be living with your family [1:53:09] in russia in russia and this beautiful drawing says just three words i love milania and this message from [1:53:20] children frankly overshadows any diplomatic statement anybody can make so thank you so much first lady [1:53:28] thank you for your incredible humanitarian work thank you very much thank you carol thank you for [1:53:56] incorporation and professionalism my deepest appreciation to miss anna lantratova commissioner for human rights [1:54:08] in the russian federation your dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war thank you freedom [1:54:18] exists only when the mind is without fear it is both an ethical and intellectual condition a free world [1:54:28] is one where people can live with dignity truth and knowledge without fear to soar freely beneath the sun [1:54:38] we must have promise of life without oppression for a brief period olashki residents enjoyed relief [1:54:48] from the psychological horrors of war for innocent people living in the shadow of a war [1:54:56] freedom is more personal than we can fully understand it is found in the simplest moments of life [1:55:06] last week in olashki and neighboring areas of kirchen people experience the simple joys of life [1:55:14] for the first time since 2022 they walked down familiar streets without fear of explosions our brave american [1:55:27] journalist entered the war-torn region to documented the wishes of olenski's residents working in the true [1:55:36] spirit of journalism newsmax provided transparency accountability and protections to safeguard the truth [1:55:46] thanks to those journalists who are with us here today thank you the leaders of russia and ukraine work [1:55:58] to establish calm food clean water and medicine enter the era and nearly 80 people 800 people left their [1:56:09] homes in search of safety loved ones and a renewed sense of being mr david akaromania faction leader of the [1:56:23] servant of people party of ukraine is also with us today please join me and say a few words i have a [1:56:36] speech but i think while hearing everyone i will speak from my heart first madam first lady i would like [1:56:44] to thank you you did amazing job i think when everything started with you you and your team we had about [1:56:52] five percent people who believed in success and 95 percent of skeptics who say it's not gonna work now after it [1:56:58] happened it switched completely vice versa so now 95 of the people believe that we could do things like [1:57:05] that and five percent are still skeptical but the work is going on and i would like to personally thank [1:57:14] mark backman because without mark i think nothing would happen would be happening it's 24 hours work [1:57:19] it's one thing it's to agree things on political level and then another thing is to execute things on [1:57:26] an execution level and it requires a lot of people you know a human rights commissioner on both sides [1:57:32] it has a lot of challenges you know people have to learn how to keep this agreements in place and i think [1:57:38] that besides a really really big i think the biggest there is de-escalation since 2022 that we achieved [1:57:45] for five days people first day people in her so not only in a lashki but people in harrison who were staying [1:57:51] in hopes first days they did not believe it's happening so they were sitting continue to sit at [1:57:56] homes next day because the clock is ticking backwards you know they started to go and start walking around [1:58:02] their homes and next day they started to actually come to see their broken homes and you know like the [1:58:08] finding their belongings and so on so this is really really uh emotional part you know like to even to [1:58:15] watch and supervise to understand what we are doing i think that what we are doing we are creating a [1:58:20] momentum where both sides are learning this little mechanics how to actually keep the peace when the [1:58:29] peace comes it is also very important initiative that i would like to sincerely uh uh thank you for [1:58:37] you know from the from my heart for doing this uh guys for a journalist you know like you are you are [1:58:43] heroes you know like uh i couldn't go because uh i'm a politician you know like we couldn't really do [1:58:49] it this time but next time i'm definitely in you know like on both sides but i would like i would [1:58:55] like to ask your assistance you know like to have me as well you know like to come to the next uh to [1:59:01] the next place and i would like to say say thank you to all american people who uh also participated and [1:59:10] who donating now to all these families you know we're talking about hundreds of families not only people [1:59:17] but also a lot of pets were evacuated right like people were getting the pets you know like they [1:59:23] have new homes now i mean you know like this is really really big uh big big moment and definitely [1:59:29] we would like to ask you to keep going and to find new missions and to de-escalate more as much as [1:59:37] possible because i'm also a member of political track and the political track is more complex it's more [1:59:43] difficult and sometimes you know like your your mission is above the politics that's how we call [1:59:48] it internally so we have political track which sometimes have challenges and then we have above [1:59:53] the politics track we should never stop and again our president president zelensky sends you the warmest [2:00:01] regards and i would like to ask our commissioner to he awarded you and mark with the most prestigious [2:00:07] awards for what you did already and what you will do in the future and thank you for that again thank you [2:00:13] thanks thank you very much dear first lady on behalf of the president of ukraine and ukrainian nation [2:00:27] i would like to give to you this state awards for your leadership for your brave heart for saving [2:00:36] our people and for returning back ukrainian children you did so a lot for us and i have only one [2:00:43] uh request from all ukrainian nation please continue do your wonderful work and support uh people thank [2:00:52] you thank you so much thank you thank you president zelinski and the nation of ukraine for this highest honor [2:01:22] the order of princess olga first class thank you and my tremendous gratitude to mr dimitro [2:01:31] lubinets ukrainian parliament commissioner of human rights for the incredible bravery and heart you [2:01:39] show in serving your people every day thank you imagine a young child confined to her home [2:01:49] unable to dream of her future because she lives in constant fear we were not born to spend our lives [2:01:58] hiding in terror watching the sky for drones and missiles or scanning the grounds for mines what benefit [2:02:08] is there when the lives of innocence are lost forever we are alive to laugh create explore and love let [2:02:20] olashki be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace the ceasefire in olashki would not be [2:02:31] possible without president putin and president zelinski their corporation establishes a meaningful [2:02:40] precedent for advancing peace throughout the region as this historic moment conclude i wrote personal letters [2:02:51] to president putin and to president zelensky david and carol please delivered these letters to your presidents on my behalf [2:03:02] i trust you will ensure this safe delivery thank you thank you thank you everybody thank you beautiful [2:03:27] and welcome olashki will forever unite the brave individuals gathered at the white house today