Washington DC - President Donald Trump predicted Thursday an imminent deal with Russia covering Ukraine and "all of Europe," after his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, hosted officials from the two warring countries at the White House.
Trump revealed that he had an unscheduled meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, following his involvement in the event hosted by the US first lady.
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 for the first time since February.
While Melania 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.
"I can't tell you what I discussed. But I'm just telling you, it's going to be an agreement, it's going to be a big agreement," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about his talks with Dmitriev.
"It's going to be very big. 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."
Trump said he had not met with Ukrainian officials who were also at the White House on Thursday.
The 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 localized 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," the first lady told reporters.
"Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire."