US Army Secretary Driscoll meets Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, official says

WASHINGTON: US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday, a US 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 US and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a plan to end the war in Ukraine, agreeing to modify a US proposal that Kyiv and its European allies saw as a Kremlin wish list.

The US 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.

US 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 US pressure on Russia.

The latest US peace proposal, a 28-point plan, caught many in the US 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 US push raises the pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy, 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.