MEP halts hunger strike after Oleshky aid truce is announced
European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno ended her hunger strike after Ukraine's human rights ombudsman announced a temporary local ceasefire in Oleshky starting Oct. 27. The truce is meant to allow food, water, medicine, demining, and civilian evacuations for about 2,000 people still trapped in the Russian-occupied town. U.S. first lady Melania Trump helped facilitate the arrangement, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would carry out its part of the difficult operation.
Pina Picierno, a European Parliament vice president, had refused food since Oct. 20 to press for relief in Oleshky. Dmytro Lubinets told her a limited truce would begin Oct. 27, covering road clearance, supplies, and safe civilian movement.
Roughly 2,000 residents are still in Oleshky, a town opposite Kherson on the Dnipro, where aid has been blocked and escape routes are mined. Melania Trump helped arrange talks with both sides; Zelensky said Kyiv would carry out its difficult role.
The announced pause could give trapped civilians a rare chance to receive basic supplies or leave, while demining may reduce risks for aid convoys and evacuees. It may also ease pressure on relatives and diaspora groups who have campaigned for attention. Because the arrangement is temporary and locally limited, its wider social effect may depend on whether both sides honor safe exit and whether assistance reaches those unable to move.