Trump Forecasts Major Russia Deal Beyond Ukraine

President Donald Trump said on November 5 that he expects a major agreement with Russia involving more than Ukraine and possibly all of Europe, but offered no terms or timetable. He made the prediction after saying he had met Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House and had not met visiting Ukrainian officials. “I can’t tell you what I discussed,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He described a prospective agreement as “big” and said it might involve all of Europe. The reports provide no published framework, signatories or schedule for the deal, and do not establish whether his meeting with Dmitriev concerned a concrete negotiating proposal. Dmitriev was among Russian representatives attending a White House event hosted by first lady Melania Trump, where Russian and Ukrainian officials gathered to recognize a localized ceasefire in Oleshky, in Ukraine’s Kherson region. President Trump did not attend that event. Ukrainian representatives included Davyd Arakhamia, a parliamentary faction leader, and human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. The truce ran from October 27 to November 1 and enabled deliveries of food and medical supplies and evacuations. Melania Trump...