US President Donald Trump confirmed that he had met at the White House with Kirill Dmitriev – head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation took place on November 5, after a diplomatic event organized by First Lady Melania Trump.
Asked whether he had spoken with Dmitriev, Trump answered in the affirmative. However, he declined to provide details about the meeting.
“I can’t tell you exactly what we discussed. I’ll only tell you that there will be an agreement. It will be a big one and it won’t concern only Ukraine. It will be broad in scope and could have an impact on all of Europe. Everyone will be very happy,” Trump said.The US president clarified that he had not held a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian delegation. According to The Associated Press, the conversation with Dmitriev took place as US officials were holding parallel talks with Ukrainian and European representatives at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Among them was Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The meeting followed a diplomatic initiative by Melania Trump
Dmitriev had been at the White House for an event dedicated to the six-day truce in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky. The local ceasefire in Kherson region was in effect from October 27 to November 1.
According to The Associated Press, food and medical supplies were delivered during the truce, while nearly 800 residents of Oleshky were evacuated. Representatives of Russia and Ukraine attended the event, including Dmitriev, Russian ombudswoman Yana Lantratova, head of the parliamentary group of “Servant of the People” David Arakhamia, and Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Melania Trump called for the temporary agreement to be turned into a more lasting truce. She presented representatives of Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with letters to the two heads of state. Dmitriev gave her a painting made by an 11-year-old girl, while Zelenskyy sent the First Lady the Ukrainian Order of Princess Olga, First Class.
Trilateral talks are forthcoming
Trump did not specify a timeframe or concrete parameters for the announced agreement. According to The Associated Press, trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia are planned for next week in Abu Dhabi. They will be the first negotiations between the three countries since February.
US representatives in Brussels discussed with Ukraine, NATO and European allies security guarantees for Kyiv and a broader security framework for Europe. So far, the White House has not published details about the content of the conversation between Trump and Dmitriev, while the future agreement announced by the president remains without an officially presented text.
Sources: apnews.com, aljazeera.com