Trump predicts Ukraine deal after talks with Putin’s envoy

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a major deal on Ukraine could be close and might cover all of Europe. Speaking at the White House in Washington, he gave no terms for such a deal.

Trump said he had met privately with Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin’s envoy. He declined to say what they had discussed and said he had not met the Ukrainian officials also visiting the White House.

First Lady Melania Trump hosted the officials from both sides to mark the Oleshky ceasefire. Trump did not attend that event, The Moscow Times reported.

The truce ran from 27 October to 1 November. The White House said Melania Trump had helped arrange it and that nearly 800 people were moved out safely. PBS NewsHour reported that hundreds crossed into territory held by Ukraine.

Oleshky is in the part of southern Ukraine’s Kherson region occupied by Russia. Melania Trump urged both sides to seek a longer halt to the fighting. She said she had given the envoys letters to take to Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia asked her to keep working to ease the conflict. Dmitriev said he had passed on Putin’s thanks for her aid work.

Ukraine has accused Russia of using the truce to strengthen its forces’ position. The Kremlin said shifts in positions during a ceasefire were normal practice, The Guardian reported.

Talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US are due in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November. Zelensky said he had spoken for an hour and a half with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ahead of them.

Kushner said US officials had also met Ukrainian, NATO and European officials in Brussels. He said NATO would keep its central role in Europe’s joint defence. No state should have a veto over another’s choice of how to keep itself safe, he said.