Ukraine agreement 'might involve all of Europe' - Trump

Donald Trump has said there is going to be "a big, beautiful agreement" on Ukraine which "might involve all of Europe".

However, speaking in the Oval Office, the US president gave no further details on any proposed deal to end the conflict now in its fifth year.

He made his remarks after representatives from Russia and Ukraine met at a rare, face-to-face event hosted by the White House to recognise first lady Melania Trump's role in brokering a six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

Mr Trump said he had met with Russian ‌president Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev, but not the Ukrainian officials.

The president declined to give details of the discussions, but indicated the war, triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion, was close to being settled.

He said: "There's going to be an agreement. It's going to be a big agreement, and it's going to involve more than Ukraine.

"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."

Mr Trump has been pressuring the Kyiv government led by Volodymyr Zelensky to reach a peace deal with Moscow.

Following the crushing electoral defeats in this week's midterms, which saw the Republicans lose control of Congress, the president is now even more likely to be seeking a settlement, which he can hold up as a win.

Mr Trump's comments will fuel Ukrainian and European fears that he is pivoting towards the Kremlin for a larger deal that could reduce the US military presence on the continent and give Moscow more sway.

They also come the week before three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States are due to resume in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, for the first time since February.

While Ms Trump called for an "enduring" Ukraine ceasefire to follow up the brief truce she brokered in a Russian-occupied town, her 80-year-old husband indicated that an unspecified "very big" deal was close.

'More enduring than temporary ceasefire'

The US president's efforts to end the war he promised to stop within 24 hours of taking office have ebbed and flowed but his wife's quiet diplomatic efforts have stepped up.

The unprecedented meeting at the White House between Russian and Ukrainian officials hoped to build on a localised six-day truce in the starvation-hit Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

"Now we must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people," she told reporters.

"Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire."

Ms Trump said she was sending the envoys - Mr Dmitriev and leader of the Servant of the People's Political Party of Ukraine David Arakhamia - back with personal letters to Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president awarded Ms Trump a national honour for her role in brokering the Oleshky ceasefire, which a Ukrainian official personally presented to her at the White House.

Mr Dmitriev said he thanked the US first lady on Mr Putin's behalf for her "distinguished humanitarian role".

The White House meeting also reunited Russia's human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova - who has been sanctioned by Britain - and her counterpart from Kyiv, Dmytro Lubinets, who formed an unlikely bond during the Oleshky ceasefire.

'Security guarantees for Ukraine'

The first lady stunned the world when she announced in October 2025 that she had established a secret channel of communication with Mr Putin in a bid to reunite war-separated children.

She has since played a growing but still behind-the-scenes diplomatic role in the Ukraine conflict even as her husband campaigns openly to win the Nobel Peace Prize despite his own failed efforts to end the war.

In Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said he had a "very detailed, hour-and-a-half-long" conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks.

The talks have revived hopes for ending the grinding war that started in 2022 when Russia invaded, although a recent rapprochement between Mr Trump and Mr Putin has raised concerns the United States could turn its back on Kyiv.

Mr Kushner said he met Ukrainian, NATO and European officials in Brussels to discuss "security guarantees for Ukraine and a broader European security architecture".

Washington has also reportedly been discussing possible business deals with Russia as part of a general Ukraine deal.

Meloni blasts Europe's 'disarray'

It came as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised Europe's "disorderly" approach to Ukraine negotiations and demanded the EU decide who speaks on its behalf, in a letter seen by AFP.

In the message to European Council President Antonio Costa, who chairs summits of EU leaders, Ms Meloni complained about the recent proliferation of meetings in different formats for talks on Russia's war on Ukraine.

"All this is making us look utterly lacking in credibility in handling one of the most complicated dossiers our nations are facing," the Italian leader wrote.

"I am convinced that we all realise how, by giving the image of a Europe that is proceeding in disarray, we are doing nothing but serving the interests of those who want this war to continue."

The Italian leader said that she wanted EU leaders to decide "once and for all who sits at the negotiating table on behalf of the European Union and with what mandate".

She asked that the issue be discussed at a summit of EU leaders in Dublin this month, and for a formal decision to be taken at a second meeting in December.

Zelensky in energy equipment appeal

Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky has urged Latin American leaders to help Ukraine obtain urgently needed equipment to repair its power infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks.

"Every power plant in Ukraine has been damaged in one way or another by attacks," he told a summit in Madrid, adding that repair crews were working around the clock to restore electricity supplies.

"We need as much international cooperation as possible to continue rebuilding and repairing our energy system," he told a meeting on the sidelines of a summit of the Ibero-American Community, a 22-nation group of mainly Latin American Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Those attending included Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo, Honduran President Nasry Asfura, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Council President Antonio Costa.

Ukraine faces another difficult winter amid continued Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure and renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Additional reporting AFP