First lady Melania Trump hosted a rare meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House to recognize a temporary ceasefire in southeastern Ukraine.
The six-day pause from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky comes as the administration ramps up efforts to secure an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
"We have chosen humanity over war," the first lady said. "Undeniably, the lives of innocent people must transcend the divisions of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace."
Trump has accomplished something that has so far eluded her husband - helping broker a temporary ceasefire and bringing together representatives of the two sides in acknowledgement of the human costs of the war.
The White House sees it as a diplomatic breakthrough, but some European analysts worry the efforts can backfire.
The temporary reprieve, which expired on Sunday, enabled humanitarian aid to reach the city while allowing hundreds of residents to be evacuated.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, thanked the first lady. He said Putin personally gave the instructions to ensure the successful implementation of the ceasefire.
"On behalf of President Putin, on behalf of the people of the Russian Federation, we would like to thank first lady Melania Trump for her distinguished humanitarian role in resolving a key situation and resolving this humanitarian issue," he said.
Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets presented Melania Trump with an award for her humanitarian work. The Order of Princess Olha, 1st Class, is Ukraine's highest award for women.
"I have only one request from all Ukrainian nation," Lubinets said, "please continue doing your wonderful work and support people."
The event comes just days before the U.S. leads a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi next week.
President Trump also met with Dmitriev at the White House.
Trump told reporters that the sides were close to reaching a deal.
"It's going to be an agreement. It's going to be a big agreement, and it's going to involve more than Ukraine," he said. "I could even say it might involve all of Europe. It's going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone's going to be thrilled."
Heather Conley, who worked on European issues in President George W. Bush's State Department, supports all efforts to help suffering Ukrainians, but she also said the U.S. must be careful not to normalize Russia's bad behavior.
"In this White House ceremony, we were honoring the Russians that were the cause of both the occupation of Oleshky, the starvation of Oleshky, and now we're honoring them for allowing aid to come into Oleshky," said Conley, who is now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. "The more we create this equivalency where the Russians and the Ukrainians are equal in this crisis, it is putting this thing upside down."
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