Oleshky Truce Holds as Finland and Norway Leaders Hold 'Frank' Call With Putin

A local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky appeared to be holding on Tuesday. Both sides had ceased drone attacks ahead of an apparent evacuation of about 2,000 trapped civilians.

The temporary truce began at 3am in Russian-controlled Oleshky. The city sits on the Dnipro River, about three miles from Kherson, the larger city on the opposite bank. Ukrainian troops recaptured Kherson in autumn 2022.

Witnesses reported that the deadly frontline across the river was quiet for the first time in four years. Ukrainian officials said the pause in fighting is due to last until 11pm on Sunday and represents a significant, if limited, moment of de-escalation.

Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, and Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, held a phone call with Vladimir Putin about efforts to end the war in Ukraine. They described the call as frank and substantive. Store indicated afterwards that big differences remained.

The two Nordic leaders said the call, a rare instance of direct contact between Putin and western leaders, was linked to upcoming talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US. Those talks are expected to take place in Abu Dhabi next month.

The ceasefire in Oleshky appears to be an attempt by the Kremlin to curry favour with Donald Trump ahead of the trilateral meeting and next week's US midterm elections. The White House has said First Lady Melania Trump requested the humanitarian mission, and an evacuation is due to begin on Thursday or Friday. Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, EU officials and the Council of Europe had also issued calls for a ceasefire.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 people in Oleshky have been living under a complete blockade by Russia. The last delivery of food to stores was in May, and many people are now starving and eating weeds. The Ukrainian military has airdropped food using drones. Locals say Russian security forces detain anyone who takes it.

Russian soldiers have mined roads and use ruined buildings to coordinate round-the-clock strikes against Kherson. Some Oleshky residents have managed to escape, walking or cycling past bodies lying on the street and the burnt-out shells of numerous vehicles.

Ukrainian observers say the Kremlin is planning a major propaganda tour this week in which Kyiv is blamed for Oleshky's destruction. Trump-supporting US media channels have been invited to witness the evacuation, in which buses will take residents to occupied Crimea and Russia.

The ceasefire does not extend to other parts of Ukraine. Overnight, Russia bombarded Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least one person and injuring 15. It hit a university campus, wounding students, as well as a bridge over the Dnipro and metro infrastructure. Ten other regions came under fire. The bridge remains closed to traffic, with some commuters walking across it to get to work.

Writing on social media, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia must stop dragging out this war. He said he welcomed European attempts to end it. Zelenskyy said Stubb and Store had briefed him on their call with Putin, and that Alex and Jonas clearly conveyed to the Russian leadership the need for genuine steps towards de-escalation, particularly on the energy sector and infrastructure.

The Finnish-Norwegian initiative comes amid growing efforts by some European nations to establish a direct channel of communication with Moscow and secure a stronger European voice in negotiations. Stubb and Store said they took part in the call as leaders of their respective countries and were not speaking on behalf of Europe as a whole.

The divisions were laid bare shortly after news of the call emerged, when Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, criticised the move. She said she was very sceptical about the independent initiative by Norway and Finland and that it was not agreed with any of them. She added that she saw no signs Russia wants peace with Europe, neither in its daily hybrid warfare nor in Ukraine, where brutal strikes continue daily.

Earlier this month Putin said he was willing to resume peace negotiations but only on Russia's hardline terms. They include the handover of the entire eastern Donbas region, including parts Russia has been unable to seize since 2014, as well as further territory in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces.

Last week Zelenskyy said in an interview with ABC News that he was open to a peace agreement that would freeze the war along the current frontlines. He made clear that Ukraine would not recognise land seized and occupied by Russia as Russian.