Ukraine human rights chief thanks Melania for ceasefire help

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets on Friday thanked U.S First lady Melania Trump for her efforts to broker an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

While confirming the White House announcement on the ceasefire in Oleshky, Lubinets said  that he "would like to personally thank Melania Trump and her team for their leadership efforts and for coordinating between the Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams to reach an agreement."

The White House earlier announced that the truce brokered by the First lady would allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians in Oleshky.

The White House statement said Melania Trump had initiated the discussions and that she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire.

The localized ceasefire is set to begin Thursday, with the American first lady saying in a news release that the situation there is "on the brink of disaster."