WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Thursday that a major agreement involving not only Ukraine but potentially all of Europe was in the works, after meeting with a senior envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the White House.
“There’s going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” Trump told reporters, adding that it might include all of Europe.
Trump confirmed meeting with Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev but declined to provide details of their discussion. The encounter came as US representatives held separate talks with Ukrainian and European officials at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The diplomatic activity comes as Washington prepares to host three-way discussions next week in Abu Dhabi involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, the first trilateral peace talks since February.
Trump has repeatedly promised to end Russia’s war in Ukraine quickly but has recently criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to make concessions. He has also pursued closer engagement with Moscow, including a deal to remove sanctions on Russian diesel exports reached with Putin during the closing weeks of the US midterm election campaign.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, one of the US representatives participating in the Brussels discussions, described Thursday’s talks with Ukraine, NATO and European allies as productive.
The discussions focused on security guarantees for Ukraine and a broader security framework for Europe, Kushner said in a social media post.
“We are working intensively with all parties to find practical solutions that can bring this war to an end and establish the foundations for lasting peace,” he wrote.
Melania Trump credited with securing local ceasefire
Dmitriev was at the White House for an event recognizing a six-day ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Oleshky in the southern Kherson region.
The temporary truce, which ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, was the most significant local cessation of hostilities since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Dmitriev thanked US first lady Melania Trump for her “distinguished humanitarian role” in securing the arrangement, saying Putin had personally instructed officials involved in the operation and asked him to convey his gratitude.
Melania Trump said she hoped the temporary truce could become more permanent and expand to other areas affected by the war.
“Let Oleshky be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace,” she said.
The event was also attended by Davyd Arakhamia, head of the parliamentary faction of Zelensky’s party, and Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Arakhamia praised the first lady’s efforts and urged her to continue helping Ukrainians affected by the conflict.
“Definitely we would like to ask you to keep going and to find new missions and to de-escalate more as much as possible,” he said.
Trump said he had not met with the visiting Ukrainian officials and did not explain why. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zelensky, speaking in Spain last week, said the Oleshky arrangement demonstrated that Putin could halt the fighting when he chose to.
“When Putin wants the fighting to stop, it stops,” Zelensky said, adding that the days without attacks had saved hundreds of lives.
First lady’s growing diplomatic role
The Oleshky ceasefire marks an increasingly prominent role for Melania Trump in US diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.
She has worked with Russian and Ukrainian officials since last year to reunite children separated from their families by the war, helping nearly three dozen return to their relatives.
The White House announced on Oct. 23 that she had helped broker the temporary Oleshky truce to facilitate humanitarian deliveries and civilian evacuations from a city she described as being “on the brink of disaster.”
Melania Trump said she and her top adviser, Marc Beckman, began working directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership after she learned about the humanitarian emergency during an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.
She said nearly 800 people had been evacuated from Oleshky during the operation.
The ceasefire allowed food and medical supplies to reach residents while hundreds crossed into Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Humanitarian crisis in occupied Oleshky
Oleshky, once home to about 24,000 people, lies on the Dnipro River opposite Ukrainian-held territory. Russian forces captured the city on the first day of their full-scale invasion.
Months of fighting have devastated its buildings and infrastructure, leaving residents without electricity, heating or running water. Food and medical supplies had also become increasingly scarce.
The city’s suffering was compounded by the June 2023 collapse of the Kakhovka Dam, which unleashed devastating floodwaters across the region. An Associated Press investigation found that the dam’s destruction was likely caused by a Russian military explosion.
Hundreds of people were killed in the flooding.
Residents who remained in Oleshky faced mounting risks of hunger and disease as winter approached. Ukraine had repeatedly called for a local ceasefire to allow civilians to escape.
Under international humanitarian law, Russia, as the occupying power, is responsible for ensuring that civilians under its control have access to essential supplies and protection.
During Thursday’s White House event, Melania Trump presented representatives of Putin and Zelensky with large white envelopes containing personal letters for the two leaders.
Dmitriev gave her a painting by an 11-year-old girl, while Zelensky sent a Ukrainian award recognizing her role in securing the temporary ceasefire.
