Humanitarian talks cover six Kherson settlements

Nearly 800 people were evacuated from Oleshky in Kherson Oblast during a recent ceasefire, according to Melania Trump. This figure anchors the new diplomatic efforts between Kyiv and Moscow to expand humanitarian aid to additional areas.

Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets met with Russian Commissioner for Human Rights in Occupied Territories Yana Lantratova to discuss these operations. Their talks included a proposal for a humanitarian mission covering six settlements in Kherson Oblast. Lubinets stated that his office and the Russian side have developed joint proposals on humanitarian issues.

Lubinets explained his diplomatic approach at a press conference on November 1. He noted that he first met Lantratova five days after her appointment. During that initial conversation, he immediately raised the issue of Oleshky. He said that showing diplomatic etiquette improves the chance of a positive outcome.

"I don't know of any other way to bring back our citizens than through direct negotiations with the Russian side," Lubinets said. He added that if his Russian counterpart uses his full name and patronymic, he sees no problem using hers. He emphasized that he is acting for Ukrainian citizens, even if he personally shares common feelings toward Russia.

The commissioner stressed that allowing personal emotions to influence the work would undermine negotiation results. He reported that Russian occupation forces did not subject civilians to filtration procedures during the Oleshky mission. This lack of screening allowed for a smoother evacuation process.

Lubinets and Lantratova agreed to ask the US First Lady to help expand the practice from Oleshky to other settlements with difficult situations. The Ukrainian commissioner expressed hope that both sides will extend this approach to other regions in the future. The two officials continue to coordinate on joint humanitarian initiatives.