US President Donald Trump stated that there is a possibility of reaching a major agreement to end the war in Ukraine. He made these remarks after a meeting with special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kirill Dmitriev, at the White House.
Trump indicated that a potential deal could have significantly broader implications and encompass other European countries. He did not disclose details of the conversation but assessed that the agreement would be 'big' and that 'everyone would be delighted' by it. He also confirmed that he had not met with Ukrainian representatives who had also arrived in Washington.
US officials in Brussels held talks with representatives of Ukraine, NATO and European partners. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner described the meetings as productive and substantive, highlighting that the focus was on security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as the future security architecture of Europe. According to him, Washington, together with the parties involved, is seeking concrete and implementable solutions that would enable the end of the war, but also reduce the likelihood of new conflicts breaking out.
Kirill Dmitriev thanked US First Lady Melania Trump at an event held on Thursday at the White House for her role in achieving a temporary ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleksiyivka, which is under Russian occupation. The ceasefire lasted from Tuesday to Sunday evening of the previous week and enabled efforts to evacuate residents who had been trapped in the city facing a severe shortage of food and medical supplies. Both the Russian and Ukrainian sides thanked Melania Trump for her engagement in the evacuation of civilians and alleviating the humanitarian crisis.
Dmitriev is considered one of the close aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin. As early as April 2025, he spoke with US officials at the White House, and those talks were held behind closed doors. According to reports from US media, his latest visit represents his first appearance at an officially announced event at the White House. It is also mentioned that this could be the first live meeting of Russian and Ukrainian representatives in that building. Among the invited Ukrainian representatives were David Arakhamia, head of the parliamentary faction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's party, and Ukrainian People's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war are expected to continue as early as next week, when a new round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives is anticipated in Abu Dhabi under US mediation. The centre of the negotiations is expected to be questions of a possible cessation of hostilities, security guarantees for Ukraine, and a long-term security arrangement that should prevent the re-ignition of conflicts. The war in Ukraine has been ongoing since February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the neighbouring state. No specific terms of a potential agreement have been published yet, nor is it known how close the negotiating parties are to agreeing on key issues.
In a separate address to journalists at the White House, Trump said he would soon decide whether to continue the war against Iran, which the United States and Israel launched in February with the aim of preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. He said he was considering whether to continue strikes to ensure that the Iranian nuclear programme is permanently halted, expressing a desire to avoid further destruction of Iran, but did not rule out the possibility of new strikes. 'You will know soon,' he said. After a meeting with national security advisers, he said the United States had achieved everything it wanted to achieve in Iran and would now decide on further steps.
US portal Axios reported, citing a US government official, that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) is intensifying preparations for a possible continuation of extensive military operations in Iran, but has not yet received new orders from Washington. Mediators have been in Tehran several times in recent days for talks, and Trump recently spoke himself about possible progress in negotiations to end the conflict, dpa recalls.
