WASHINGTON, United States / Eurasian Newswire / – US President Donald Trump held a private meeting with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House on November 5, shortly after a diplomatic event hosted by First Lady Melania Trump. The event marked a six-day humanitarian truce in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine’s Kherson region, which the First Lady helped broker. Trump later said a Russia-Ukraine deal could be close.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he believed the sides were very close to settling the conflict. He declined to give details of his talks with Dmitriev. Trump said any agreement would be big, would involve more than Ukraine and might include all of Europe. He did not meet the Ukrainian delegation, which also attended the First Lady’s event. Trump has repeatedly said in the past that a deal was close.
The ceasefire in Oleshky ran from October 27 to November 1. It allowed nearly 800 civilians to be evacuated from the besieged city and enabled the delivery of food and medical supplies. Melania Trump was involved in every stage of planning, including reviewing aerial images and assessing road and hospital access, The Moscow Times reported, citing Reuters. The White House described the gathering as a first for a US First Lady.
Russian and Ukrainian officials attend
The Russian side was represented by Dmitriev and Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner. Ukraine sent David Arakhamia, who leads the Servant of the People faction in parliament, and Dmytro Lubinets, the country’s parliamentary human rights commissioner. According to Kyiv Post, Dmitriev said Putin supported Trump’s peace initiatives. The Ukrainian delegation urged the First Lady to continue her peace efforts, The Moscow Times reported.
Melania Trump said the two sides had chosen humanity over war and called for something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire. She described the Oleshky truce as a spark in a world of darkness. She handed both delegations envelopes containing personal letters for Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Dmitriev gave her a painting by an 11-year-old girl. Zelenskyy sent her the Order of Princess Olga, a Ukrainian state award, in recognition of her role.
Abu Dhabi talks set for next week
A US delegation is scheduled to mediate talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, The Moscow Times reported. Kyiv Post described the planned meeting as trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. Negotiations have picked up in recent weeks. In October, Ukraine backed a Trump proposal for an energy truce while Russia stayed silent. Dmitriev has previously held talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
On the same day, US officials met representatives from Ukraine, NATO and European countries in Brussels to discuss post-war security guarantees. Jared Kushner called the talks productive and substantive. He set out five goals, including permanent security consultations. He said any arrangements must fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every nation, and that NATO would remain central to European defence. Trump has also said Russia will supply diesel to global markets.