Trump predicts major Russia deal beyond Ukraine

President of the United States, Donald Trump. Photo: The White House

US President Donald Trump on Thursday predicted a “very big” deal with Russia involving not only the Ukraine war but “all of Europe,” after meeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s envoy at the White House.

Trump revealed that he had an unscheduled meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, who was at the White House for talks with Ukrainian officials hosted by US First Lady Melania Trump.

“I can’t tell you what I discussed. But I’m just telling you, it’s going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“It’s going to be very big. It’s going to involve more than Ukraine, and I could even say it might involve all of Europe. It’s going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone’s going to be thrilled.”

Trump said he had not met with Ukrainian officials who were also at the White House on Thursday.

The US president’s comments will fuel European fears that Trump is pivoting towards the Kremlin and will push Ukraine into an unfavourable deal to end Russia’s invasion.

NATO capitals are also watching to see if Trump, who has hinted at withdrawing troops from the continent, will meet Putin’s maximalist demands to reduce US influence in Europe.

But Trump, who promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office in January 2025, has also repeatedly touted looming peace deals in the past which never materialised.

Melania had earlier called for a new, “more enduring” ceasefire in Ukraine as she hosted a rare meeting between officials from the war-torn country and Russia at the White House.

PUNCH Online reports Thursday that Melania told reporters, “Now we must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people.”

“Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire,”

Trump said the meeting and a localised six-day truce in the starvation-hit Ukrainian city of Oleshky that the US First Lady announced last month could be a stepping stone to a wider deal.

AFP