Trump says Russia deal could cover all of Europe, not just Ukraine

Trump's claims about a wider deal

On Thursday, 5 November, Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that a deal with Russia was coming and that it would cover more than Ukraine. He said it could even include all of Europe. Asked what he had discussed with the Russian side, he declined to give details, saying only that there would be an agreement and that it would be big. He added that everyone would be thrilled with the outcome. His remarks offered no information on content or terms, and it remained unclear whether he meant a broader European security arrangement, security guarantees or some other diplomatic settlement.

The White House meetings

Trump said he met Kirill Dmitriev, described in the reports as a Kremlin envoy, at the White House on Thursday. He said he did not meet the Ukrainian delegation, which was also at the White House for talks linked to First Lady Melania Trump. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia was among those present. When asked whether he had raised attacks on Ukrainian civilians, Trump said he had raised the issue with both sides and noted that Russia also records losses among its civilian population.

Melania Trump's ceasefire push

Melania Trump met Dmitriev and Arakhamia and called for a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine, arguing that the sides should build something more durable than a temporary truce. She pointed to the six-day local truce in Oleshky, which ran from 27 October to 1 November, as an example of what was possible. Oleshky, in Ukraine's Kherson region, is under Russian control. According to Melania Trump, nearly 800 people were evacuated during the operation, while about 2,000 people were estimated to remain in the town when the truce took effect. Residents could leave for areas under Ukrainian or Russian control or stay with access to new food and medicine supplies. She said she began the contacts after being briefed on the difficult humanitarian situation at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, working with close adviser Mark Beckman. She handed letters for Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to the two envoys, and Dmitriev said he had thanked her, on Putin's behalf, for her humanitarian role.

Brussels security talks and reactions

In parallel, US representatives held consultations in Brussels with Ukrainian, NATO and European partners on security guarantees. Jared Kushner, a Trump envoy, described the discussions as productive and substantive and focused on a wider European security architecture. He said any agreement must fully respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independent decision-making of every nation. Reports said Trump's remarks would raise questions in several European countries that are NATO allies. Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, expressed the expectation that the new Congress, following Democratic victories in the US midterm elections, would apply greater pressure on Russia. Reports also said the exclusion of Ukraine from the private meeting caused concern in Kyiv and across Europe.

What comes next

Talks are scheduled in Abu Dhabi with American mediation, aimed at a diplomatic settlement of the conflict, and reports placed them only a few days away. Whether the optimism Trump expressed reflects real progress or a push for a broader agreement has not been established. The Abu Dhabi talks are the next test of the prospects for ending the war.