US First Lady Melania Trump said in a surprise announcement Friday she had brokered a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged city of Oleshky, where citizens are trapped and running out of food.

Residents in the Russian-occupied city would be allowed to choose to evacuate to either Ukraine or Russia under the truce, which would begin on October 29, said a statement from her office.

"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster," the 56-year-old wife of US President Donald Trump said in the statement.

"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."

The Kremlin welcomed Melania Trump's "humanitarian" involvement, while Russia's army chief said it would observe the truce from 0100 GMT on October 27.…