U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is holding a series of meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. officials and diplomatic sources told CBS News.
According to a senior U.S. official, Driscoll met members of the Russian delegation for several hours on Monday night and is expected to continue discussions throughout Tuesday in an attempt to accelerate the peace process. It remains unclear who else is part of the U.S. delegation present in the UAE.
The talks come amid a broader diplomatic push by President Donald Trump, whose team has been engaging envoys from both Kyiv and Moscow. Over the weekend, Driscoll joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and European and Ukrainian representatives for negotiations in Geneva. Driscoll’s UAE meetings also follow his trip to Kyiv last week.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials have recently discussed the possibility of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visiting Washington this week, though no firm plans have been set, CBS News reported.
Draft peace proposal faces hurdles
Despite the rapid diplomatic activity, it is unclear how close Russia and Ukraine are to reaching a deal. A draft proposal obtained by CBS News includes terms Ukraine has previously rejected — notably requiring Kyiv to relinquish the entire Donetsk region, including areas not currently controlled by Russia, and to halt its bid to join NATO.
A separate document detailing potential U.S. security guarantees has also been circulated. Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Olga Stefanishyna, said on Face the Nation that the guarantees resemble Article 5-style commitments, under which NATO countries pledge to defend one another if attacked.
A coalition of NATO members and U.S. allies released a joint statement on Saturday describing the peace proposal as “a basis which will require additional work.”
The White House confirmed Sunday that U.S. and Ukrainian officials had drafted a “refined peace framework” after talks in Geneva. Secretary Rubio described the sessions as “very meaningful” but acknowledged that “there’s still some work left to do.”
President Trump has urged Zelenskyy to reach an agreement by Thanksgiving, though Rubio has said the deadline remains flexible.
Battlefield realities shape negotiations
A U.S. official told CBS News that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he will capture the Donetsk region either through negotiations or continued fighting — a premise that the U.S. delegation used as a starting point for talks in Geneva.
While the U.S. has not offered an assessment on whether Ukraine is losing ground in the East, officials say the trajectory of fighting favors Russia. Moscow’s advances around Pokrovsk — a key logistics hub and what Russian media call the “gateway” to the industrial Donbas — are seen as a worrying sign for Kyiv’s defensive prospects.