2026 Midterm election results Senate: Melania Trump skips Donald Trump's election night party; here's what she was doing as Republicans lost Congress

Midterm election results Senate: In a big setback for Republicans, Democrats have won both the US Senate and House of Representatives, taking control of Congress for the rest of Donald Trump's presidency. US First Lady Melania Trump was notably absent from Trump's election night gathering at the White House. She chose to focus on her diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, reports Yahoo.

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Melania stayed away from the East Room, a White House source confirmed to the Daily Mail. Melania Trump posted details on her social media about a planned event at the White House to highlight the ceasefire in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky and surrounding areas. The First Lady stayed away as President Donald Trump and his aides gathered in the East Room to watch the results, where the mood turned defiant as Republican majorities faded.


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Melania Trump's effort in Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

Instead of attending the watch party, Melania Trump used social media to highlight her ongoing peace initiative involving the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky.Representatives of Russia and Ukraine will attend the event in the White House's Grand Foyer on Thursday, an administration official confirmed to the Daily Mail. She focussed on her own initiatives supporting women and children.

The first lady worked independently to broker the ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine, a source told the Daily Mail, and hailed the success of her efforts on Sunday.

"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,' Melania said in a statement. 'Oleshky's remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water."

Melania Trump became personally involved in the ceasefire after attending the United Nations General Assembly in September and learning of the horrific conditions of the people there. Her absence from the election gathering stood out because of the political significance of the night for her husband's administration. Nevertheless, the White House account of her activities indicated that she was preparing for a diplomatic event scheduled for Thursday, November 5.

Melania Trump busy with Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

According to an announcement from the Office of the First Lady on November 3, she intended to bring the two sides together in the Grand Foyer to discuss the ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region.

She was scheduled to deliver remarks at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on November 5. The initiative followed her involvement in securing a temporary agreement that allowed humanitarian assistance and civilian evacuations in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city.

The White House described the arrangement as an independently initiated diplomatic effort by Melania, who reportedly worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to establish its terms.

'Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,' she detailed. 'I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.'

Trump endorsed her efforts, telling reporters on Friday that she contacted both Ukrainian and Russian officials to begin the talks. 'What she wants to do is save children. And that's her focus. Both sides are cooperating with her, so she's doing a very good job.'

The First Lady also celebrated reports that Ukrainians were evacuating the city.

Evacuees wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags stepped off buses late last week at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border where they were reunited with family members.

'The ceasefire across Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region has provided residents with the freedom to move, access to food, clean water, medicine, plus a renewed sense of dignity without the constant threat of attack,' she wrote on Saturday.