Kremlin says US-brokered ceasefire in Oleshky was 'successful' - Anadolu Ajansı

The Kremlin said Monday that a six-day ceasefire observed in the Russian-controlled city of Oleshky in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region was “successful.”

"We can indeed confirm the successful execution of this humanitarian operation," Dmitry Peskov said during a press briefing, commenting on the pause that officially ended late Sunday.

Peskov expressed Moscow’s gratitude to Washington for its assistance in Oleshky, particularly to US first lady Melania Trump, while also praising the level of coordination between the Russian and Ukrainian human rights commissioners.

Regarding any similar operation in the future, Peskov said each such case is "unique," adding: “There are no similar plans yet, nor are there any similar initiatives.”

Peskov also commented on an earlier Ukrainian statement accusing Russia of using the pause to "regroup," saying Russia, for its part, did not rule out that Ukraine might have also used the ceasefire for the same purpose, describing it as “perfectly standard practice in such situations.”

Earlier Monday, Ukraine’s General Staff accused Moscow of using last week’s ceasefire to “improve their positions.”

"During the ceasefire, the rotation of Russian units, the fortification of positions, the deployment of additional anti-drone measures along roads, and the expansion of logistics -- specifically the delivery of ammunition -- were observed," it said.

A ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump between Russia and Ukraine in Oleshky, which Moscow took control of in 2022, the first year of the war, took effect on Oct. 27 to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.

The localized ceasefire in Oleshky ended at 2100GMT on Sunday.

Peskov also commented on the possibility of resuming Russian gas deliveries to Europe through Ukraine, saying it is currently not possible to talk about this topic.

"In fact, the situation on the ground speaks for itself, clearly indicating that such plans cannot be implemented right now. But as for the future -- we shall see," Peskov said.

His remarks come as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Sunday that US envoys proposed the resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine during negotiations held in Moscow and Kyiv in September.

Citing American, European, and Ukrainian officials, the WSJ reported the idea would involve selling Russian gas via a US intermediary to circumvent sanctions imposed by Europe and "could create a lucrative opportunity for American investors."

"Everything will depend on the willingness of buyers and sellers, as well as the capabilities of the sellers. After all, as you know, the gas market is much larger than just the European market -- even though the European market is a premium one," Peskov said.

Peskov added that Russian President Vladimir Putin's schedule for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Nov. 18-19 is still being prepared.

He noted that preparations for the meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit are ongoing, while noting there is no specific information yet regarding a possible trilateral meeting involving US President Donald Trump.

He added that he thinks there will "soon be an understanding" of whether a bilateral meeting between Putin and Trump will take place at the summit or not.

"There are no precise plans at the moment. That said, it is safe to assume that if both President Putin and President Trump happen to be in Shenzhen, they will interact in one way or another," he said.