OddsFrontTrump says Russia-Ukraine deal is “very close” after meeting Putin’s envoy Dmitriev
After receiving Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House, Trump predicted a “big agreement” but gave no details and did not meet the Ukrainian delegation in Washington. Trilateral talks are set for Abu Dhabi.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had met Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, in Washington and that a settlement between Russia and Ukraine could be near. He offered no specifics and said he had not met the Ukrainian delegation that was in the city the same day.
“I think we’re going to be very close to settling Russia-Ukraine,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, according to Al Jazeera. He declined to say what he and Dmitriev had discussed. The Kyiv Independent reported that Trump confirmed the meeting only when a reporter asked him about it at a separate press conference.
A “big agreement”
Trump said an agreement was coming and that it would reach beyond Ukraine. He suggested it might involve “all of Europe”. The Kyiv Independent quoted him as calling it a “big, beautiful agreement” that would leave everyone thrilled. He did not explain what such a deal would contain or who would be party to it.
Al Jazeera noted that Trump has repeatedly said an end to the conflict was close, while adding that negotiations have picked up in recent weeks. The Kyiv Independent wrote that no peace talks had been held for several months after earlier US-led efforts produced no major breakthrough and Russia stuck to maximalist demands.
The White House event
Dmitriev was in Washington for an event hosted by first lady Melania Trump, which the president did not attend. It marked the six-day truce around the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, which ran from October 27 to November 1. Al Jazeera said the pause allowed nearly 800 civilians to leave and let food and medical supplies reach the town.
Russia was represented by Dmitriev and human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova. Ukraine sent ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Davyd Arakhamia, who leads President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party in parliament. The BBC reported that Melania Trump urged both sides to build something “more enduring” than a temporary ceasefire, and gave Dmitriev and Arakhamia personal letters to pass to their presidents.
Arakhamia called the Oleshky pause the “biggest de-escalation since 2022” and said Ukraine wanted the first lady to find new missions. Dmitriev spoke of continuing a joint humanitarian contribution.
Doubts over credit and intent
The BBC also carried more sceptical views. Zelensky said the truce proved that when Putin wants the fighting to stop, it stops. Ukrainian analyst Dmytro Levus told the broadcaster that Russia’s position had not changed and that Moscow agreed because of American pressure. A source close to American officials suggested the arrangement was designed to hand Trump a positive result ahead of the midterm elections.
What happens next
The next concrete step is a round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States on November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi, which US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced on November 3. A day before the White House event, the European Commission hosted discussions in Brussels with representatives of the United States, Ukraine, NATO and several European countries on ending the war.
What Trump and Dmitriev agreed, and what Trump’s “very close” means in practice, remains unclear, as the president gave no details and Moscow has not yet commented in the outlets’ reports.