Trump Predicts Major Russia-Ukraine Deal
The president met with a Russian envoy at the White House following a diplomatic event hosted by First Lady Melania Trump.
By Luis Medina ·
Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine have intensified in recent weeks. On Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters that a settlement between Moscow and Kyiv is near.
The president met with Kirill Dmitriev, the special envoy to Vladimir Putin, in the Oval Office. Trump declined to share specific details from their conversation. He stated, “I think we’re going to be very close to settling Russia-Ukraine.”
Trump described the upcoming agreement as large in scope. He said, “There’s going to be an agreement. It’s going to be a big agreement, and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine.” He added that the deal could include “all of Europe.”
The meeting with Dmitriev followed a gathering hosted by First Lady Melania Trump. The event brought Russian and Ukrainian representatives together to honor a six-day truce in Oleshky. That temporary ceasefire ran from October 27 to November 1. It allowed for the evacuation of nearly 800 civilians from the occupied city in Kherson region. Supplies of food and medicine also reached the area during the pause in fighting.
Senior officials from both nations attended the White House event. The Russian delegation included Dmitriev and human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova. The Ukrainian group included David Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People party, and parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets. Trump said he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation separately on Thursday.
Melania Trump told the attendees, “Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire.” She urged both sides to view the humanitarian pause as a “spark in a world of darkness.”
During the ceremony, the First Lady presented both delegations with large white envelopes containing personal letters for their leaders. Dmitriev gave her a painting by an 11-year-old girl. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent her the Order of Princess Olga. The White House noted this was the first time a First Lady has personally brought representatives of two warring nations to the White House for diplomacy.
