KEY POINTS
- US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi to end the Ukraine war.
- The meetings followed US-Ukraine talks in Geneva aimed at revising a 28-point peace plan.
- The Kremlin signalled it would not accept European-backed amendments.
WASHINGTON: Senior US and Russian officials held meetings in Abu Dhabi on Monday about a proposed plan for ending the Ukraine war as Washington intensified efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine, according to media reports.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met a Russian delegation late on Monday, with talks continuing on Tuesday, ABC News and the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing a US official.
Driscoll’s spokesperson, quoted by Reuters, confirmed that the meetings were part of a renewed push by President Donald Trump’s administration to secure a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine war.
The meetings in Abu Dhabi followed talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian officials aimed at narrowing differences over a draft peace plan.
The Financial Times reported that Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, was expected to be present at the Abu Dhabi meetings. The composition of the Russian delegation remains unclear.
A US official, cited by the Financial Times, said that Driscoll had been “pretty hot and heavy” in recent days in his engagement on the peace process. The official said Ukraine was fully aware of Driscoll’s travel and meetings following the Geneva consultations.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm the reports, telling Russian state media: “I have nothing to say. We are following the media reports.”
US pushes revised peace plan
The United States has been pressing Ukraine to accept a plan originally consisting of 28 points, US and British media reported.
The draft included major concessions to Russia, including the effective ceding of the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, limits on Ukraine’s military, and the abandonment of NATO ambitions. Kyiv has rejected these terms as unacceptable.
Ukrainian, US and European officials met again in Geneva on Sunday and drafted an updated version of the proposal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later said the new draft contained “fewer points than 28” and included “proper considerations.”
However, the Kremlin signalled on Monday that it would not accept amendments proposed by European governments.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said President Trump remained “hopeful and optimistic that a deal can be struck,” following the latest round of negotiations.
Ukraine engages allies
Zelensky spoke on Tuesday with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He said there were “many prospects that can make the path to peace real,” adding that the Geneva talks produced “solid results” but that “much work still lies ahead.”
Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said Ukraine and the United States had reached “a common understanding” on the core elements of the peace framework discussed in Geneva. He described the meetings as “productive and constructive.”
Umerov said Kyiv hoped to arrange a visit by President Zelensky to the United States “at the earliest suitable date in November” to “complete final steps and make a deal with President Trump.”
He acknowledged, however, that Russia had yet to indicate support for the revised proposals.
Talks held with Putin’s approval
A US official, cited by CNN, said that Driscoll’s meetings in Abu Dhabi were held with the approval of President Vladimir Putin.
Driscoll is the most senior American official present in the UAE, excluding diplomats. The talks are intended to prepare the ground for higher-level engagements, CNN reported.
Despite the negotiating efforts, the conflict escalated overnight. Zelensky said Russia launched 22 missiles and 460 drones into Ukraine.
The attacks targeted the energy sector and “everything that keeps normal life going,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said three people were killed and eight injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Rostov region. It claimed Russian forces intercepted 249 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 116 launched over the Black Sea.
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s military drone unit, described the operation as Kyiv’s “most productive” night in November, saying Ukrainian drones inflicted “deep damage” on Russian targets.
