A critical localised ceasefire in Ukraine that promises to help more than 1,000 civilians has set off an unlikely contest over who brokered the truce.

The White House insists that United States’ First Lady Melania Trump mediated the ceasefire in Oleshky between Russia and Ukraine, after weeks of increasingly alarming reports from the town warning of a growing humanitarian crisis.

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But the Vatican has offered its own narrative, suggesting that the pope was responsible for helping the pause in fighting through phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Here’s what we know about the Oleshky ceasefire, and why the diverging versions of what led to the truce matter:

What’s the ceasefire about?

Russia took the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky in the Kherson region in the early days of the invasion in February 2022 and has retained control over it since.

But the town has suffered from extensive war damage and was later hit by flooding after the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in 2023.

According to residents and officials, those who remain in the town, which the US estimates at 1,700-2,000 residents, have reported severe shortages of food, medicine, and other supplies.

Then, on October 23, a brief ceasefire was announced. Ukrainian and Russian officials have said the pause in fighting over Oleshky will allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of those who want to leave the Russian-occupied town.

They’ve added that humanitarian corridors would be established to allow for aid deliveries.

Both sides have said this ceasefire, which is scheduled to end on Sunday, is not a comprehensive end to hostilities. Multiple diplomatic efforts to end the war have so far failed.

Still, the Kremlin said on Monday that the truce might set a precedent for similar localised ceasefires in the future.

On Telegram, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that it had stopped shelling in the direction of Ukraine’s city of Kherson from 4am Moscow time (01:00 GMT) on Tuesday, to prepare for the effort in Oleshky.

“As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honouring its commitments,” Dmytro Lubinets, the parliamentary commissioner for human rights, said in a Facebook post confirming Russia’s timing of its halt.

What have Melania and the White House said?

Announcing the ceasefire on Friday, US First Lady Melania Trump said the situation in the town was “dire”, and it was on the “brink of disaster”.

“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible,” she said in a statement issued by the White House.

It added that Melania and her representatives had worked closely with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire.

“Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require. Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” said Melania.

Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also publicly thanked the first lady and her team for helping coordinate the talks. Russian officials confirmed the agreement.

What is the Vatican saying?

The morning after the White House announcement, the Vatican published a front-page article in its official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. The headline: Humanitarian truce for Oleshky.

The article underscored that the ceasefire was secured after Pope Leo spoke to Russian and Ukrainian leaders, urging them to agree to the pause in fighting to help save trapped civilians.

Pope Leo spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin via phone call on October 16 and expressed his “deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky”, adding that he had called for a ceasefire to allow for food and medical assistance.

The pontiff made the phone call while he was in hospital recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in his lung.

Three days later, on October 19, Pope Leo also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the situation in Oleshky.

The pope’s special envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, had pressed Russian authorities on conditions in Oleshky during a visit to Moscow in late September.

Hasn’t Trump tussled with the pope before?

US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo have had a strained relationship.

Pope Leo, the first US pope in history, has criticised Trump’s decision to launch the Iran war, saying it violated Catholic moral principles of a “just war”.

In April, responding to Leo’s critiques, Trump said the pope was “weak on crime, weak on nuclear weapons”, and that he would not have been elected pope if Trump wasn’t president – claiming, without evidence, that his presidency had helped Leo into the position.

“Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

Does this matter for the US midterm election?

Among Catholics, Trump’s popularity is low. Refusing to even mention the pope’s role in the Oleshky ceasefire is unlikely to help him.

The midterms, scheduled for next week, often reflect a sitting president’s performance as voters decide whether Trump’s Republicans can retain control of Congress.

A Pew Research Centre study conducted between September 28 and October 4 suggested that Trump’s approval rating among Catholics has fallen from 47 percent at the start of his second term in January 2025 to just 30 percent in October 2026. As many as 20 percent of US adults identify themselves as Catholic.

Among white Catholics, Trump’s popularity has fallen from 59 to 39 percent, while among Hispanic Catholics it has crashed from 31 to 18 percent.