NYT: Trump discussed the Ukraine deal with Dmitriev, which will affect the whole of Europe
Trump promised to conclude a deal on Ukraine that would affect the whole of Europe, writes NYT. He said this after a meeting with a senior Russian representative in Washington.: most likely, we are talking about Dmitriev. The US president did not meet with the Ukrainian side.
Anton Trojanowski
US President Donald Trump said he met with a senior Russian representative in Washington on Thursday and promised a peace agreement on Ukraine that could affect "the whole of Europe." This shows that the president does not abandon negotiations on a peaceful settlement even after the crushing defeat of his party in the midterm elections.
In the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that he had met with the "chief representative of Russia," who had been at the White House earlier in the day. Apparently, we are talking about Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy of President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Washington to participate in an event under the auspices of the First Lady of the United States Melania Trump.
"I can't tell you exactly what we discussed,— Trump told reporters. — But I can say one thing: the agreement will be concluded. This is a big deal, and it won't just affect Ukraine."
However, despite the fact that the autumn wave of diplomatic efforts around Ukraine has been going on for the third month, nothing foreshadows that the actions of the Trump administration are bringing the end of hostilities closer.
On the contrary, Trump has received a barrage of criticism from the Democratic camp, as well as from some party members, for being overly accommodating towards Putin and unwilling to increase pressure on Russia. Responding to a question in the Oval Office on Thursday about Russian strikes against the civilian population of Ukraine, Trump said that it was also responsible for the deaths of people. "On the other hand, they also kill," he said.
Russian Envoy Dmitriev was received by Melania Trump at the White House on Thursday. The First Lady gathered Russian and Ukrainian representatives to discuss the recent cease—fire that she managed to achieve for the evacuation of residents of Alyoshek, a frontline town under Russian control. Trump said that he had met only with the Russian representative, but not with the Ukrainians.
Dmitriev himself has not yet confirmed that he met with Trump. In addition to his diplomatic activities, he heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the country's largest public investment fund. Dmitriev is leading the Kremlin's efforts to promote business agreements with the Trump administration and, in this capacity, is seeking to ease sanctions against the fund entrusted to him.
Earlier, on October 21 in St. Petersburg, Putin met with White House Special Representative Steve Witkoff. Scheduled peace talks with representatives of the United States, Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates next week.
"This could affect the whole of Europe," Trump continued, talking about the peace agreement on Ukraine. "It will be a great and wonderful agreement, and everyone will be thrilled."
Apparently, Trump's words refer to US efforts to include a broader range of European security issues in the peace talks. This approach is apparently intended to take into account some of Putin's demands regarding relations between Russia and NATO in Europe.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, another participant in the Ukraine talks, said on Thursday that earlier in the day, American representatives discussed with European and Ukrainian officials in Brussels "security guarantees for Ukraine and the broader European security architecture."
"Our goal is to address the security concerns of the parties through practical, mutually agreed arrangements that reduce the risk of future conflict," Kushner concluded.
