US first lady Melania Trump brought Russian and Ukrainian officials together at the White House on Thursday, in the first in-person contact between Russian and US officials since Democrats swept the midterm elections.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, attended the event and was expected to meet US administration officials while in Washington, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with his plans. The first lady urged both sides to choose “humanity over war” and called for a full peace deal between the two countries.
The gathering was staged to mark a six-day local ceasefire around Oleshky, the Russian-held town in southern Ukraine that Mrs Trump helped to mediate. The deal has since expired. Dmitriev gave her a drawing of pink hearts by a girl from Oleshky and said the child had “chosen to live with her family in Russia”, a reference to the bitter dispute over Ukrainian children displaced into Russia.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, attended for Kyiv and presented Mrs Trump with the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, an award signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for her humanitarian work. Reports of the meeting said she also handed letters to be delivered to Presidents Putin and Zelenskiy.
The visit comes days before a trilateral meeting of US, Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November, where American negotiators will seek progress towards ending a war that is nearing the end of its fifth year. It is the first three-way round since February.
The timing matters politically. The Democratic majority that takes control of Congress in January is widely expected to push for more aid for Ukraine and to question several of the Trump administration’s decisions, including a diesel deal with Russia and the easing of some sanctions. The Kremlin has said it hopes Mr Trump will continue his peacemaking efforts despite the Republican Party’s defeat, and that work is under way to prepare a meeting between Mr Putin, Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on 18-19 November.
Dmitriev has been involved in facilitating the release of American detainees in Russia, the reunification of Ukrainian children with their families, and the humanitarian operation in Oleshky. A source familiar with his plans said Russia and the US had a mutual interest in continuing those humanitarian efforts, alongside economic and business contacts. He previously met Mr Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, at the White House in 2025; Mr Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, did not invite any Russian officials to the White House.
Note: the planned meetings between Dmitriev and US officials were reported by Reuters on the basis of two unnamed sources, and have not been independently confirmed by the White House.
Sources: Reuters, “Russia’s Dmitriev in Washington for first US contact since Trump’s midterm setback” (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/russias-dmitriev-washington-first-us-contact-since-trumps-midterm-setback-2026-11-05/) and “Melania Trump urges ‘humanity over war’ with Ukraine, Russia officials” (https://985theriver.com/2026/11/05/russias-dmitriev-in-washington-for-first-us-contact-since-trumps-midterm-setback/); New York Post, “Melania Trump calls for peace between Russia, Ukraine as she welcomes reps to White House” (https://nypost.com/2026/11/05/us-news/melania-trump-calls-for-peace-between-russia-ukraine/).
