U.S. meets Russia in UAE after "understanding" reached with Ukraine
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Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, center, with staff in Geneva. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is holding talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi after U.S. negotiators reached initial understandings with Ukraine on a draft peace plan, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge.
Why it matters: It's been a week of chaotic diplomacy since Axios revealed the plan last Tuesday, with Ukraine first alarmed by the U.S. plan and then optimistic about revisions secured during talks in Geneva. After reaching an "updated and refined peace framework" with Ukraine, the Trump administration is now pivoting to try to get Russia on board.
Driving the news: Driscoll arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday and has been holding talks with Russian officials throughout Tuesday, his spokesperson Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert told Axios.
- "Secretary Driscoll and team have been in discussions with the Russian delegation to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine. The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronized with the White House and the U.S. interagency as these talks progress," Tolbert said.
- A Ukrainian delegation headed by the military intelligence chief Gen. Kyrylo Budanov is also in Abu Dhabi and holding talks with both the U.S. and the Russian teams, a source with knowledge said.
- Politico first reported about Driscoll's talks with the Russians in Abu Dhabi.
The intrigue: A source with knowledge said Ukrainian and Russian military intelligence chiefs were scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi on a different topic. Driscoll's trip to Abu Dhabi surprised the parties and changed the original plan.
State of play: During Sunday's talks in Geneva, the U.S. and Ukraine refined the framework, narrowing it from 28 points to 19, according to Ukrainian officials.
- A U.S. official claimed the Ukrainians "have agreed to the peace deal" but added that there are "some minor details to be sorted out."
- The Ukrainians have not gone that far, but they sound increasingly optimistic in public and in private.
- Zelensky's national security adviser Rustem Umerov said in a statement that the U.S. and Ukraine "reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva."
Zoom in: Ukrainian officials told Axios the U.S. agreed to strengthen the draft security guarantee it proposed alongside the initial 28-point plan.
- The parties agreed that the most sensitive issue of territorial concessions would be discussed leader-to-leader, between Presidents Trump and Zelensky.
- Both sides agreed that issues not directly related to peace in Ukraine — on the future of NATO, European security and U.S.-Russian relations — would be taken out of the framework.
The other side: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that if the new document strayed from the understandings President Putin believed he had reached with Trump in Alaska, Russia will not accept it.
- Lavrov said Russia "welcomed" the initial U.S. plan, but "if the spirit and letter of Anchorage are erased from the key understandings we have documented, then, of course, the situation will be fundamentally different."
What's next: Umerov said Ukraine looks forward to organizing a visit of President Zelensky to the U.S. "at the earliest suitable date in November" in order to conclude a deal with President Trump.
- No date for such a meeting has been set yet.
Meanwhile, Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack at Ukrainian cities including Kyiv overnight.
- Zelensky said Russia launched 460 drones and 22 ballistic missiles. At least 6 people were killed in Kyiv.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine launched 250 drone against targets in Russia.
