Trump announces "very big" deal with Russia after White House meetings

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a "very big" deal with Russia is coming that, in his words, "will cover more than Ukraine, and I could even say it could cover all of Europe." Trump spoke to reporters in Washington on November 5, 2026, after representatives from Moscow and Kyiv visited the White House.

According to Trump’s own account, he met in the White House with Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev. Earlier the same day, First Lady Melania Trump received representatives from Moscow and Kyiv, among them Dmitriev and Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia. Trump declined to describe the talks, saying: "I cannot tell you what I talked about." He added: "I'm just telling you: there will be a deal, there will be a big deal." He also said: "It will be a big, beautiful deal and everyone will be thrilled."

Melania Trump pushes for lasting ceasefire

Melania Trump used her meeting with Dmitriev and Arakhamia to call for a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine and cited a six-day truce in the town of Oleshky as an example. She told reporters: "Now we must use the courage we brought in Oleshky to, through shared compassion for the suffering of innocent people, find a basis for mutual understanding." She added: "Together we can create something that will be more lasting than a temporary ceasefire." Melania also said she handed letters for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kirill Dmitriev thanked the first lady on behalf of President Putin "for her outstanding humanitarian role."

Meanwhile, U.S. officials in Brussels held consultations with Ukrainian, NATO and European partners about security guarantees and a broader European security architecture. Jared Kushner described those talks as "productive and substantive discussions." He emphasised that "Every deal must fully respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independent decision‑making of every nation," adding that "No country, he added, should have the right to veto the sovereign decisions of another country." Kushner also stressed that "NATO will remain at the heart of collective European defence."

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded Melania Trump a national order for her role related to the Oleshky truce, praising her "significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine" and her engagement on human rights and charity work. Zelensky met U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and said on X that they had "a very detailed conversation that lasted an hour and a half." He added: "Negotiations must be carried out in full force so that this war ends as soon as possible" and "Ukraine is ready to take the necessary steps." The Oleshky ceasefire — organised to allow a humanitarian operation in territory under Russian occupation — lasted six days and was the longest such pause in more than four and a half years of the war.

Trump gave few specifics about the proposed agreement but insisted it would be "very big". Diplomatic and allied consultations are continuing in Brussels and Kyiv as officials try to reconcile security guarantees, humanitarian needs and Kyiv's demands for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Photo: press material from the event