Trump administration ‘quietly’ pushes new Russia-Ukraine peace plan: Report

Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy and the central figure in Washington’s back-channel talks with Moscow, has been leading the negotiations. The source said the pace of discussions increased this week as US officials believe the Kremlin has shown new openness to a potential agreement.

In a parallel move, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday alongside a senior Pentagon team “on a fact finding mission to meet with Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war,” Army Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement.

A US official told  the visit was ordered by the president as part of the administration’s attempt to revive peace efforts. Driscoll was expected to brief President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top Ukrainian leaders on battlefield realities, weapons requirements and the emerging diplomatic track.

The trip was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed his meeting with Driscoll in a Telegram post, sharing a photo of both leaders. He expressed “gratitude” to the US for its “important support that saves the lives of Ukrainians every day.”

He added that he “presented to partners our developments in the field of defense innovations” and “focused on the next steps to implement the historic defense agreements reached by President Zelensky and President Trump.”
Though Driscoll has not previously been visible in earlier rounds of talks, he is a close ally of Vice President JD Vance from their time at Yale Law School and has largely worked on defence acquisitions.

Other senior officials traveling with him included Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, Gen. Chris Donahue, the top US Army commander in Europe, and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer. Russian officials also acknowledged ongoing high-level contacts, telling CNN that US-Russia engagement is continuing, including through Witkoff.