The Kherson Ceasefire Melania Trump Helped Broker, the Longest Truce of the Ukraine War, Was Set to Expire Sunday With No Extension

The truce that First Lady Melania Trump helped negotiate in Ukraine's Kherson region was due to end Sunday evening, with neither side announcing an extension, according to an AFP report carried by Breitbart London.

What held. The pause began early Tuesday, is limited to the Kherson region and is described as the longest of the war. It allowed a humanitarian mission into the Russian-held city of Oleshky. Neither side reported violations after it began, and a Ukrainian lawmaker called it the "biggest de-escalation since 2022." Our earlier story covers the White House's announcement of the deal.

On the ground. A Kherson gardener, Volodymyr Omeltchenko, 38, called it a "breath of fresh air" and said he was pruning rose bushes for winter. A Ukrainian military officer, speaking anonymously, said Russian forces across the Dnipro used the calm to bring in troops and ammunition and to scout Ukrainian positions with drones, and that the fighting could be "worse than before" when it resumes.

Fighting elsewhere. Russia said a drone hit an "industrial enterprise" east of Moscow overnight, and Ukrainian media said Kyiv attacked the Kstovo oil refinery. AFP says Trump has pressed Kyiv to stop such strikes, blaming them for higher diesel costs that analysts tie to the Iran war. Ukraine reported new power outages, including in Kyiv, after Russian strikes. Russian-installed authorities in Lugansk said Ukrainian strikes killed four people since Saturday evening. Russia denies targeting civilians.

Next. US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to resume this month, after being effectively frozen since the US and Israel struck Iran in February, AFP says.

What to keep in mind. The report was written before the deadline passed, so we do not know whether the truce ended or was quietly extended. The Ukrainian officer's claims about Russian preparations are unverified.