U.S. Army Secretary Driscoll meets Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday, a U.S. official told Reuters, the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

The meeting comes after U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a plan to end the war in Ukraine, agreeing to modify a U.S. proposal that Kyiv and its European allies saw as a Kremlin wish list.

The U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Driscoll’s talks would continue into Tuesday. It was unclear who would be in the Russian delegation.

The official added that Driscoll was also expected to meet Ukrainian officials while in Abu Dhabi.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

U.S. policy toward the war in Ukraine has zigzagged in recent months.

Trump’s hastily arranged Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August spurred worries Washington might accept many Russian demands, but ultimately resulted in more U.S. pressure on Russia.

The latest U.S. peace proposal, a 28-point plan, caught many in the U.S. government, Kyiv and Europe off-guard and prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Moscow.

The plan would require Kyiv to cede more territory, accept curbs on its military and bar it from ever joining NATO, conditions Kyiv has long rejected as tantamount to surrender. It would also do nothing to allay broader European fears of further Russian aggression.

The sudden U.S. push raises the pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is now at his most vulnerable since the start of the war after a corruption scandal saw two of his ministers dismissed and as Russia makes battlefield gains.

Zelenskyy says sensitive issues to be discussed with Trump

Zelenskyy said on Monday that a proposed peace plan now under discussion with the United States and Europe has incorporated “correct” points, but sensitive issues were to be discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“As of now, after (talks in) Geneva, there are fewer points, no longer 28, and many correct elements have been incorporated into this framework,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

“Our team has already reported today on the new draft of steps and this is truly the right approach. The sensitive issues, the most delicate points, I will discuss with President Trump.”

Zelenskyy said the process of producing a final document would be difficult and Ukraine appreciated the assistance offered by other countries and the “constructive” U.S. approach.

He said it was in Russia’s interests to disrupt the peace process and warned Ukrainians to pay particular attention to air raid alerts in the days and weeks to come “as we fully understand who we are dealing with”.

Zelenskyy said that if negotiations proceeded on resolving the war “there must be no missiles, no massive strikes on Ukraine and our people. This is something that those who are strong in the world can ensure.”

Despite the intensive diplomatic efforts Russia unleashed a ferocious overnight barrage on 25 November, launching over 100 missiles and drones that killed at least two in Kyiv, wounded dozens, ignited residential buildings, and triggered widespread blackouts across the capital and regions like Kharkiv and Poltava. Ukrainian forces retaliated with one of their largest drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure in Novorossiysk and Saratov.

The Ukrainian president is expected to meet Trump in the White House as early as this week- potentially by 28 November.

With Reuters, edited by g.g.

Caption: US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll speaks in a press conference at US Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, 1 October 2025 EPA/YONHAP