Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is in Washington to meet with Trump administration officials and discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He also attended a White House gathering Thursday hosted by First Lady Melania Trump, where he thanked her on Putin’s behalf for her humanitarian role in the operation in Ukraine.
The White House event was part of Dmitriev’s Washington visit, which also included meetings with Trump administration officials. The visit marked the first in-person contact between Russian and U.S. officials since Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The Kremlin also confirmed that preparations are underway for a possible meeting between Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen, China.
Dmitriev’s visit comes ahead of planned trilateral talks between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, where American negotiators will seek progress toward ending the war, which is nearing its fifth year. Dmitriev previously met with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House in 2025.
During the event, the First Lady called for a more enduring peace agreement, urging representatives to build on the progress made through the Oleshky ceasefire. She described the effort as a potential “powerful flame of peace” and called on both sides to continue working toward a lasting agreement.
