Trump says Russia-Ukraine deal is close as Abu Dhabi talks approach

US President Donald Trump said a Russia-Ukraine agreement could be close after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, at the White House. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he believed the sides were "very close" to settling the war, but he declined to give details of his conversation. He also said any agreement could involve "more than Ukraine" and might extend to "all of Europe".

The comments came after a diplomatic gathering hosted by First Lady Melania Trump that brought Russian and Ukrainian representatives together in Washington. That event was linked to a six-day local truce in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which ran from October 27 to November 1 and allowed the evacuation of nearly 800 civilians as well as deliveries of food and medical supplies. Trump said he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation on Thursday, while senior officials from both sides attended the White House event.

The meeting adds to a recent acceleration in contacts around the war, which is now approaching its fifth year. The White House has described the Oleshky arrangement as a humanitarian opening, and Melania Trump said the aim was to build on that temporary pause rather than stop there. The presence of Dmitriev, Russia's human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova, Ukraine's parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and David Arakhamia, who leads the Servant of the People party in Ukraine's parliament, gave the talks a formal political and humanitarian dimension.

The latest developments matter because they link a local ceasefire to broader diplomacy between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv. The war in Ukraine remains Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, and repeated efforts to secure a wider settlement have stalled. Any sign of movement at the White House is likely to be watched closely in Europe, where Trump suggested the outcome could have implications beyond the immediate conflict zone.

The Oleshky truce has become a reference point in the wider diplomatic track because it produced a concrete humanitarian result. The city is under Russian occupation in Ukraine's Kherson region, and the temporary pause was described as the longest multi-day truce between the two sides since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The episode has also drawn attention because the White House said it was the first time a First Lady had personally brought representatives of two nations at war to the White House for diplomacy.

What remains unclear is whether the White House talks will produce any specific follow-up or whether the humanitarian channel can be widened beyond Oleshky. It is also not known how far the discussions can move from limited local arrangements to a broader political deal. The next developments to watch are whether contacts continue in the coming days and whether the ceasefire and evacuation model can be repeated elsewhere.

US President Donald Trump said a Russia-Ukraine agreement could be close after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, at the White House. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he believed the sides were "very close" to settling the war, but he declined to give details of his conversation. He also said any agreement could involve "more than Ukraine" and might extend to "all of Europe".

The comments came after a diplomatic gathering hosted by First Lady Melania Trump that brought Russian and Ukrainian representatives together in Washington. That event was linked to a six-day local truce in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which ran from October 27 to November 1 and allowed the evacuation of nearly 800 civilians as well as deliveries of food and medical supplies. Trump said he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation on Thursday, while senior officials from both sides attended the White House event.

The meeting adds to a recent acceleration in contacts around the war, which is now approaching its fifth year. The White House has described the Oleshky arrangement as a humanitarian opening, and Melania Trump said the aim was to build on that temporary pause rather than stop there. The presence of Dmitriev, Russia's human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova, Ukraine's parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and David Arakhamia, who leads the Servant of the People party in Ukraine's parliament, gave the talks a formal political and humanitarian dimension.

The latest developments matter because they link a local ceasefire to broader diplomacy between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv. The war in Ukraine remains Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, and repeated efforts to secure a wider settlement have stalled. Any sign of movement at the White House is likely to be watched closely in Europe, where Trump suggested the outcome could have implications beyond the immediate conflict zone.

The Oleshky truce has become a reference point in the wider diplomatic track because it produced a concrete humanitarian result. The city is under Russian occupation in Ukraine's Kherson region, and the temporary pause was described as the longest multi-day truce between the two sides since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The episode has also drawn attention because the White House said it was the first time a First Lady had personally brought representatives of two nations at war to the White House for diplomacy.

What remains unclear is whether the White House talks will produce any specific follow-up or whether the humanitarian channel can be widened beyond Oleshky. It is also not known how far the discussions can move from limited local arrangements to a broader political deal. The next developments to watch are whether contacts continue in the coming days and whether the ceasefire and evacuation model can be repeated elsewhere.

Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian special envoy, is due to attend a White House event hosted by Melania Trump and to hold meetings with members of Donald Trump's administration during his visit to Washington. The trip comes as preparations continue for planned talks involving U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi on November 10. It also follows the White House's account of a recent humanitarian ceasefire around the Russian-held town of Oleshky, which has become part of a wider diplomatic track.

According to people familiar with his plans, Dmitriev's visit comes after Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress, a result that is expected to increase scrutiny of the Trump administration's Russia policy. That scrutiny is likely to include questions over a diesel deal with Russia and the easing of some sanctions. The Kremlin has said it hopes Trump will continue efforts to broker peace, while American negotiators are expected to push for progress towards ending the war in Ukraine, now approaching its fifth year.

The latest contacts add to an unusual sequence of diplomacy that has linked humanitarian issues, prisoner releases, the return of Ukrainian children and business matters. A source familiar with the discussions said those topics have become part of the exchanges between Dmitriev and Melania Trump's team, alongside economic and business questions. The White House has said Melania Trump will speak at the event about the six-day local ceasefire around Oleshky, which she helped mediate, and which allowed aid deliveries and evacuations.

The planned Washington meetings matter because they sit alongside broader efforts to keep a channel open between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington at a time when formal peace talks have repeatedly stalled. The Oleshky truce was described as the longest multi-day pause between Russia and Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, and it has given the diplomacy a practical humanitarian dimension. That makes the current visit more than a ceremonial stop, even though it does not yet amount to a wider settlement.

Dmitriev previously met Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House in 2025, showing that this line of contact has been building over time. The latest visit also comes as preparations are said to be under way for a possible meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen. Those parallel discussions suggest the White House is trying to keep several diplomatic channels open at once, even as Congress prepares to examine the administration's approach more closely.

What remains unclear is whether the Washington meetings will produce any concrete movement before the Abu Dhabi talks, or whether the humanitarian channel can be widened beyond Oleshky. It is also not yet known how much influence the new congressional balance will have on sanctions policy or on the administration's dealings with Moscow. The next developments to watch are the outcome of the November 10 talks and whether the ceasefire and evacuation arrangements can be extended or repeated elsewhere.

Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House and urged both sides to build on a recent local ceasefire and work toward a more enduring peace. The meeting brought together representatives from the two countries at war in an unusual diplomatic setting, with the White House saying it believed this was the first time a First Lady had personally brought officials from both sides to the White House for diplomacy. The event centred on the humanitarian truce in Oleshky, in Ukraine's Kherson region, and on whether that limited arrangement could be expanded.

Those present included Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yana Lantratova, Russia's human rights commissioner, David Arakhamia, leader of Ukraine's Servant of the People party in parliament, and Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's parliamentary human rights commissioner. Melania Trump said she had acted as an "exclusive intermediary" under written agreements signed by both countries and said she had been involved in planning the effort, including reviewing de-mining plans and evacuation routes. Ukrainian representatives also presented her with the Order of Princess Olga, first class, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had awarded her earlier this week.

The truce in Oleshky lasted six days and allowed aid deliveries and the evacuation of nearly 800 people, according to the details released. An estimated 2,000 civilians had been left in the city, which is under Russian occupation, and the pause was described as the longest multi-day truce between Russia and Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The White House said Melania Trump mediated the truce, although the account of who brokered it has differed from that of Pope Leo XIV, who also pressed both sides to allow aid and evacuations.

The meeting matters because it links a local humanitarian arrangement to wider diplomatic contact between Moscow and Kyiv at a time when ceasefire efforts have repeatedly stalled. The humanitarian truce did not amount to a broader political settlement, but it did create a practical channel for evacuation, aid access and de-mining discussions. That gives the episode significance beyond the immediate operation, especially as the war enters its fifth year and both sides continue to search for limited openings.

The award to Melania Trump also underlines how Kyiv is framing her role in the episode. Ukrainian officials linked the honour directly to her contribution to humanitarian support and to the evacuation from Oleshky. The presence of senior representatives from both countries at the White House also gave the event a symbolic weight that is unusual in the context of the war, where formal negotiations have often been indirect or stalled.

What remains unclear is whether the White House meeting will produce any concrete follow-up or whether the humanitarian channel can be widened beyond the Oleshky operation. It is also not yet known how far the de-mining and evacuation discussions can be turned into longer-term arrangements on the ground. The next developments to watch are whether the parties maintain contact and whether the local ceasefire can be extended or replicated elsewhere.

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