Exclusive: Putin "really wanted" Melania Trump to broker a ceasefire with Olesheki, first lady adviser says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "really wanted" US First Lady Melania Trump to broker a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Olshki in Kherson Oblast, Mark Beckman, her sole senior adviser, told the Kyiv Independent on October 28.
"President Putin really wanted her to participate and also wrote an official letter explaining that she... You will be recognized as the sole mediator from Russia," Beckman said.
Beckman said that the Russian military offered to advance the cease-fire by two days and expand its geographic scope beyond Oleshki to other parts of Kherson province to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuation preparations. Ukraine agreed to the proposal.
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