Here is the thing, a high-level US military team visits Kyiv at a moment when the war is entering another brutal winter and pressure from Washington is shifting in a very public way. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in the Ukrainian capital for talks that the Pentagon says are meant to “discuss efforts to end the war,” a carefully chosen phrase that signals how seriously the White House is pushing for movement.
US military team visits Kyiv: High-Level Delegation Lands In Kyiv
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and is expected to sit down with President Volodymyr Zelensky as well. Driscoll is not traveling alone. His delegation includes Army Chief of Staff Gen Randy George, the top US Army commander in Europe Gen Chris Donahue, and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer. This is the most senior American military group to visit Kyiv since President Donald Trump took office.
According to Army spokesman Col David Butler, the delegation is on a “fact-finding mission” and is representing the Trump administration in discussions about reaching an end to the conflict.
US military team visits Kyiv: Rumors About A Secret Peace Plan
Let us break it down. While Driscoll’s team kept their public comments narrow, the trip follows a wave of reports from Axios, Reuters and the Financial Times suggesting that the US and Russia have quietly discussed a new draft framework to end the war. The rumored proposal contains major concessions from Ukraine, including surrendering remaining parts of the Donbas, slashing the size of its military and stepping back from acquiring certain weapons systems.
A senior US official has confirmed that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been working behind the scenes and has heard input from both Kyiv and Moscow. The official said the plan requires concessions “from both sides, not just Ukraine.”
US military team visits Kyiv: European Leaders Push Back
European officials did not hide their frustration. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that any workable peace plan must involve Ukraine and its European allies. France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said plainly that “the Ukrainians do not want any form of capitulation.”
For Brussels, the alarm is simple. A peace deal drafted without Ukraine could end up tilted toward Moscow’s demands, something European governments have rejected since the first day of the invasion.
US military team visits Kyiv: Kyiv Avoids Comment On Leaked Terms
Ukraine’s Prime Minister stayed away from addressing the rumored peace framework directly. Instead, he said the visit gave US officials the chance to see “the consequences of Russian aggression” and evaluate the current battlefield reality.
Behind the scenes, one Ukrainian official told CBS that discussions with the US delegation would include the military situation and the possibility of a ceasefire based on existing front line positions. According to this source, Trump and Zelensky have already agreed in principle to halt the conflict along the current lines if certain security guarantees are put in place.
US military team visits Kyiv: Russia Escalates Attacks As Diplomacy Circulates
Even as diplomatic maneuvering intensified, Russia launched another deadly round of missile and drone attacks. Ukrainian officials say at least 26 people were killed in strikes on residential buildings in the western city of Ternopil, with another 22 still missing.
Zelensky, who was in Turkey at the time of the attack, reportedly had meetings planned with Trump’s envoy in Ankara, although these were later canceled according to Ukrainian media.
US military team visits Kyiv: Moscow Holds Its Line
The Kremlin has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a draft plan. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that “contacts” had occurred with the United States, but insisted there are no ongoing negotiations. Just weeks earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov repeated Moscow’s unchanged conditions, which include territorial concessions, a drastically reduced Ukrainian military and a pledge of neutrality.
US military team visits Kyiv: Key Ally Inside White House To Step Down
Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that its special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will leave his post in January. Kellogg has been one of the most consistent pro-Ukraine voices inside the administration. His exit raises new questions about how future negotiations will be handled and which voices will carry the strongest influence.
US military team visits Kyiv: What This Really Means
The arrival of such a senior American delegation signals that Washington is moving into a more assertive phase. Whether the rumored peace framework becomes a starting point or collapses under political pressure is still unclear. What is certain is that Ukraine is facing another winter of heavy attacks and slow progress, and both Washington and Moscow appear to be probing for their next strategic move.
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