Trump Says Ukraine War Is Very Close to Settling After Meeting Putin Envoy Dmitriev
President Donald Trump said he met privately with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House on Thursday and predicted a deal to end the war in Ukraine could come soon, possibly involving all of Europe. Trump said he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation, which was also at the White House for an event hosted by first lady Melania Trump.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he met privately with Kirill Dmitriev, the special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and predicted that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine could come soon and reach beyond Ukraine itself.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the war was very close to being settled. “It’s going to be an agreement. It’s going to be a big agreement, and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” Trump said, according to Reuters. “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.”
Trump said he did not meet with the Ukrainian delegation on Thursday. He declined to say what he discussed with Dmitriev.
White House event held to recognize a local ceasefire
Dmitriev was at the White House for an event hosted by first lady Melania Trump that recognized a six-day ceasefire she helped broker in Oleshky, a Russian-controlled town in Ukraine’s Kherson region. The ceasefire was signed Oct. 23.
The first lady welcomed Russian human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova and Dmitriev, along with Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Davyd Arakhamia, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s group in parliament. She handed both delegations letters addressed to Putin and Zelenskyy, according to the Associated Press.
Speaking at the event, Dmitriev thanked the first lady for her “distinguished humanitarian role” in securing the truce and said Putin had given instructions as part of the operation and sent his thanks, the Associated Press reported.
Talks set for Abu Dhabi next week
A U.S. delegation is scheduled to mediate talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11 between representatives from Russia and Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, said Tuesday that the United States would bring the two delegations together there for talks on ending the war.
The visit was the first in-person contact between Russian and U.S. officials since Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of Congress, according to the Associated Press. The Kremlin said Thursday that Trump would keep steering U.S. foreign policy despite the midterm results, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and the Associated Press.
