Trump meets Putin envoy Dmitriev, predicts ‘very big’ deal

On Thursday, Nov. 5, President Donald Trump said he had met Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy, at the White House. Trump declined to say what they talked about. He predicted an agreement that would reach "more than Ukraine" and possibly "all of Europe," according to Reuters. He also said he did not meet the Ukrainian officials who were at the White House the same day, the Associated Press reported.reuters.com+1

"A Big, Beautiful Agreement"

"I can't tell you what I discussed. But I'm just telling you, it's going to be an agreement, it's going to be a big agreement," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, AFP reported. He went on: "It's going to involve more than Ukraine… 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." He also said the war was very close to being settled.ndtv.com+1

AFP described the meeting as unscheduled. It noted that his comments are likely to add to European worries that he is leaning toward the Kremlin and could push Kyiv into an unfavorable deal. AFP also pointed out that Trump has announced peace deals before that never came about.ndtv.com

Melania Trump's Oleshky Event

Dmitriev was in Washington for an event hosted by first lady Melania Trump. It marked a six-day ceasefire she helped broker in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine's Kherson region. The truce ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, AP reported. The president did not attend the event. Dmitriev thanked the first lady for her "distinguished humanitarian role" and said Putin had personally given instructions for the operation.apnews.com

Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia and human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also attended, along with Russia's human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova. "Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire," the first lady said. She added that she had written personal letters to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Arakhamia called the truce the "most significant de-escalation since 2022".bbc.com+2

Talks Ahead in Abu Dhabi

The truce let aid reach Oleshky and allowed nearly 800 people to be evacuated. It ended without an extension. The next day, a Russian strike on an aid distribution point in the Zaporizhzhia region killed at least 40 people, according to Zelensky. Officials from the US, Ukraine and Russia plan to hold three-way talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11. Trump said the Oleshky truce could be a stepping stone to a wider deal.rmb.reuters.com+2