Melania Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters

Vladimir Putin has used the evacuation of a war-ravaged city brokered by Melania Trump as a propaganda tool to portray himself as a humanitarian, Ukrainian human rights figures claim.

Around 700 Ukrainians were evacuated from Oleshky, a frontline Russian-occupied city in Kherson where 1,700 people have been on the brink of starvation after nearly five years trapped in the hellish war zone.

The first lady hosted a summit at the White House on Thursday, attended by delegations from Russia and Ukraine, where both nations gushed over her efforts to secure peace.