Trump Meets Putin Envoy Dmitriev After Melania Hosts Peace Delegates

Donald Trump quietly met Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House on Thursday, then told reporters he was very close to settling the Russia-Ukraine war. He offered no details of the talks, but hinted any agreement would be big and could reach far beyond Ukraine, possibly involving all of Europe.

Earlier, Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian representatives, an unusual first for a First Lady. Attendees included Dmitriev, Ukrainian MP David Arakhamia and both countries' rights commissioners. The gathering built on a six-day truce she helped broker around Oleshky, which let roughly 800 civilians leave while food and medicine reached residents.

Melania handed delegates letters addressed to Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying together they could build something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire. Trump did not attend that event and did not meet the Ukrainians separately, leaving Kyiv watching nervously as Washington's back-channel with Moscow appears to move faster than expected.