Melania's focus is ‘to save children,’ Trump says after Oleshky truce deal

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that first lady Melania Trump's focus is on saving children, after she announced a Russia-Ukraine agreement for a temporary ceasefire in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

Asked by reporters as he departed the White House whether the first lady would take part in trilateral peace talks, Trump said: "That is not the worst idea I've ever heard."

"What she wants to do is save children, and that's her focus. And both sides are cooperating with her, so doing a very good job," he said.

"Her initiative, and they contacted both sides, and both sides wanted to do it," he added.

Melania Trump announced earlier Friday that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to a localized truce in Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians who wish to leave. The ceasefire is scheduled to begin on Oct. 29, according to the White House.

"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster," the first lady said in a statement.

"It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible," she said.

Under the arrangement, civilian representatives from Russia and Ukraine will visit residents to assess their needs, and those who choose to leave will receive coordinated transportation to destinations in either Russia or Ukraine. An American media organization will accompany the teams to document the process.