In late October 2026, the First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Donald Trump, recently mediated a humanitarian evacuation of civilians from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine. Apparently, there was an acute humanitarian crisis, and Russia and Ukraine coordinated for the first time in years—a phenomenon that had lately begun to be perceived as unrealistic, as unreal as the rotation of the Earth from east to west.

Both sides agreed to provide critical supplies of food, water, and medicine to the stranded civilians and give them all a fair chance to choose which side they wished to proceed to—Russia or Ukraine.

A temporary "silence regime" was declared along the zone of hostilities to carry out the mission without fail. Around 800 civilians were evacuated via buses, and both warring nations reportedly agreed to hold "regular humanitarian missions".

Surprisingly, Europeans seem unwilling to applaud this small effort in the vast sea of darkness, even though they would be the first to scream if the same people were dying for nothing.

This is a huge step towards lasting peace, so it must be carried forward enthusiastically, without hurdles. In the end, only talks can bring about a cessation of hostilities because, on the front, neither side is ready to show mercy. Oil prices are soaring, fuel shortages are kicking in, gas prices are inflating by the day, cyberattacks are becoming frequent, public anger is spilling onto the streets, oil tankers are sinking in the Hormuz, wars are just increasing in number, governments are advising people to stock up on essential supplies for God knows what... The international order appears to have been turned upside down.
In the middle of all this chaos, if a hope of élan is visible in any corner of the globe, I think nothing else can offer at least the illusion of peace, if not peace in actuality, at this moment of uncertainty.

Meanwhile...

"The humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains catastrophic, affecting virtually the entire population of 2.1 million Palestinians who endure acute shortages of food, shelter, water, and healthcare." — International Rescue Committee, October 28, 2026