Trump Meets Putin Envoy Dmitriev, Abu Dhabi Talks Set
The US president privately met Putin's special envoy on Thursday, and an American delegation will mediate between Russian and Ukrainian representatives on November 10 and 11.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, said on Thursday, November 5, that he had privately met Kirill Dmitriev, special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the White House, but he did not say what they discussed. The news matters to Serbia, a candidate for European Union membership: while Russians and Ukrainians are being brought together in Washington, Brussels is discussing European security architecture, and the outcome of those talks shapes the space in which Belgrade sits.
It was the first direct contact between American and Russian officials since the US midterm elections on November 3, in which Democrats took control of Congress from Republicans. Trump did not meet the Ukrainian delegation that was at the White House the same day.
What did Trump tell reporters?
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the American president addressed the prospects for a deal and left the substance of the conversation with Dmitriev aside. He said:
“I think we’ll be very close to resolving the Russia and Ukraine issue.”
He followed with a broader announcement: “There will be an agreement. It will be a big agreement, and it will include more than Ukraine.” According to media reports, Trump added that a deal could cover “all of Europe.” He often makes forecasts like this, though talks have picked up speed in recent weeks.
A concrete date already exists: an American delegation will mediate talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11.
A White House reception: Melania Trump and the Russian and Ukrainian delegations
Before meeting the president, Dmitriev appeared at a reception hosted at the White House by First Lady Melania Trump. Donald Trump did not attend the event. Other guests included Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, David Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary group in Ukraine’s parliament, and Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights.
The occasion was a six-day local ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-controlled town in the Kherson region, which Melania Trump helped broker. It ran from October 27 to November 1 and allowed the evacuation of nearly 800 civilians. Melania Trump said she was involved in every stage of the planning, from reviewing aerial footage to assessing roads and access to hospitals, and her husband told reporters in October that she “does better than our professionals.”
The first lady addressed the guests with the words:
“Together we can create something more lasting than a temporary ceasefire.”
She added: “We chose humanity over war.” She handed representatives of both sides letters meant for Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Dmitriev gave her a piece of artwork by a girl from Oleshky, which one source described as a picture by an eleven-year-old and another as a drawing of pink hearts with the words “I love Melania.” He also said the child had chosen to live with her family in Russia, alluding to the dispute over displaced Ukrainian children. The Ukrainian side responded with the Order of Princess Olga.
What was being agreed in Brussels at the same time?
On Thursday, American officials in Brussels discussed security guarantees with Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European partners. Jared Kushner, Trump’s envoy, called them “productive and substantive talks.”
Kushner named five goals for the negotiators:
- lasting security consultations
- reliable crisis communication channels
- greater military transparency
- mutual measures to reduce the risk of escalation
- a lasting framework for long-term European security
In his words, any agreement must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every state, NATO remains the center of European collective defense, and no country will have a veto over the sovereign decisions of another.
What do Moscow and US politics say about all this?
The Kremlin said it hopes Trump will continue his peace efforts despite the Republican Party’s defeat in the midterms. A meeting of Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is also being prepared at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen this month.
The shift in Congress changes the conditions in which Washington negotiates. The Democratic majority, which begins work in January, is expected to seek more aid for Ukraine and to scrutinize Trump’s decisions on a diesel deal with Russia and on easing some sanctions against Moscow. In recent weeks Trump has also stepped up his criticism of Zelensky.
Dmitriev himself is not new to this role. In 2025 he met Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, and he earlier helped mediate the release of American prisoners in Russia, the reunification of Ukrainian children with their families and the humanitarian operation in Oleshky. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, did not invite a single Russian official to the White House.
The next tests are the talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 and a possible meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi in Shenzhen before the end of the month.
