A team led by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kiev on Thursday, the BBC reported.
On Wednesday, reports began to emerge that the United States and Russia were preparing a new framework peace plan that would require major concessions from Ukraine, including giving up territory it still controls and significantly reducing the size of its military.
Neither Washington nor Moscow has officially confirmed the plan, which was drafted by President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote of X: “Achieving a lasting peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions. That’s why we have and will continue to develop a list of possible ideas to end this war, based on input from both sides of this conflict.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Karas warned on Thursday that any plan would need to involve Ukrainians and Europeans to work, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault said “the Ukrainians do not want any form of capitulation.”
There was no mention of the framework plan when the US Army chief arrived in Kiev late Wednesday. Army spokesman Col. David Butler said only that Driscoll and his team were there “on a fact-finding mission to meet with Ukrainian officials on behalf of the (Trump) administration to discuss efforts to end the war.”
Driscoll’s team in Kiev will be the most senior military group to visit the city since President Trump took office in January. He will be joined by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, the Army’s top official in Europe, Gen. Chris Donahue, and Army Maj. Michael Weimer.
Ukrainian officials told CBS that talks during the trip will focus on the military situation there and plans for a possible ceasefire.
“President Zelenskiy and President Trump have already agreed to cease the conflict along the existing lines of engagement and have agreed to provide security guarantees,” said an anonymous official.
MNA