Trump says Russia-Ukraine peace deal close after meeting Putin envoy
President Donald Trump told reporters a settlement between Russia and Ukraine is near after a discussion with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, while noting he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation.
President Donald Trump said a settlement between Russia and Ukraine is "very close" after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House. The president declined to provide details of the conversation.
"I think we’re going to be very close to settling Russia-Ukraine," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
He added that an agreement would be "big" and could involve "more than Ukraine" and potentially "all of Europe."
The meeting followed a diplomatic gathering hosted by First Lady Melania Trump that brought Russian and Ukrainian representatives together to discuss a six-day ceasefire in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky that took place from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1. The ceasefire allowed the evacuation of about 800 civilians and the delivery of food and medical supplies.
Senior officials from both sides attended the Thursday event, including Dmitriev, Russia’s human-rights commissioner Yana Lantratova, Ukrainian parliamentary leader David Arakhamia, and Ukraine’s parliamentary human-rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets. Melania Trump spoke at the gathering, describing it as the first time a First Lady has brought representatives of two warring nations to the White House for diplomacy.
She said the temporary truce could serve as a foundation for a more lasting arrangement and presented the Russian and Ukrainian representatives with white envelopes containing personal letters for their leaders. Dmitriev gave her a painting by an 11-year-old girl, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent her the Order of Princess Olga, a Ukrainian award recognizing her role in the ceasefire.