U.S. President Donald Trump Meets Putin Envoy, Expects a “Big Deal” on Russia-Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump said he met Russian President’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House and had not met with Ukrainian representatives. According to Sina Finance, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he expected a “big deal” involving “more than just Ukraine” and that it could “possibly involve all of Europe,” but offered no details. Trump had promised to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict on his first day in office. The conflict has now entered its fifth year, and fighting continues despite repeated efforts by Trump and his representatives to broker an agreement. On Thursday, November 5, Dmitriev and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump were at the White House. Earlier that day, Melania hosted Russian and Ukrainian representatives at a ceremony commemorating a brief, localized ceasefire in Ukraine. Dmitriev was part of the Russian delegation. The Trump administration has stepped up efforts to end the war in recent weeks, with U.S. envoy Jared Kushner and Witkoff leading the discussions. Kushner wrote on social media that the United States held “productive and substantive discussions” with Ukraine, NATO and its European partners in Brussels earlier Thursday. He said the talks covered security guarantees for Ukraine and a broader European security architecture. “Our goal is to address everyone’s security concerns and reduce the risk of future conflict through practical arrangements agreed by all sides,” he added. The Brussels talks preceded two days of U.S.-led discussions next week in Abu Dhabi involving Ukrainian and Russian delegations. Trump views Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the biggest obstacle to peace and has pushed Ukraine to make concessions that Kyiv considers unacceptable. Providing security guarantees and ensuring Russia does not attack Ukraine again after a peace agreement is reached have remained major sticking points in negotiations.