U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Leads High-Level Delegation to Ukraine as Trump Seeks to Revive Peace Talks
WASHINGTON – Several high-ranking U.S. Army officials, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, are in Ukraine to help with peace talks, U.S. officials said Wednesday, as Trump administration efforts to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine have stalled. Driscoll, who had planned a trip focused on Ukraine’s drone warfare, is now also serving as a “special representative” to jump-start negotiations and conduct a fact-finding mission, according to a U.S. official.
High-Level U.S. Army Delegation in Kyiv
One U.S. official confirmed that Driscoll is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week, along with senior Ukrainian government, military and defense industry officials. He is accompanied by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, Gen. Chris Donahue, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa commanding general, and Sgt. Maj. Michael Weimer, the Army’s top enlisted official, an Army official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the plans.
Driscoll’s trip, originally planned to discuss Ukraine’s drone warfare innovations and tactics, took on a broader diplomatic focus last week when President Donald Trump identified him as a kind of “special representative” to help revive stalled peace negotiations.
Meetings with Ukrainian Leadership and Defense Cooperation
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna, said on Facebook that the U.S. Army officials began their visit by meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal. She said the delegation was briefed on the battlefield situation and Ukraine’s defense needs, and that both sides discussed potential defense cooperation. Stefanishyna and Shmyhal also noted that the American and Ukrainian teams focused on implementing defense agreements reached between Trump and Zelenskyy.
Neither Ukrainian official mentioned any discussion about renewing peace negotiations with Russia. Shmyhal posted a photo on X of his meeting with Driscoll.
White House Position and Sanctions Strategy
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller declined to comment on reports that the administration has drafted a new peace plan and dispatched U.S. defense officials to Kyiv to discuss it. “I would agree that that’s an issue in which the president has continued to put at the forefront of our foreign policy goal, which is to reach a settlement in the Ukraine-Russia war, so that we can have peace in Europe and we can end the killing and the slaughter of so many innocents,” Miller said.
The administration’s push to broker an end to the conflict has faced setbacks since Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August. Tough new U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil industry aim to pressure Moscow back to the negotiating table. Last month, Trump said he was putting on hold his plan for a meeting with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, because he didn’t want it to be a “waste of time.”
Regional Diplomacy and Russia’s Position
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ankara on Wednesday and reiterated their commitment to seeking a peaceful settlement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Russia would not send a representative to the meeting in Turkey, while insisting that Moscow remains ready to negotiate.
Drone Warfare at the Center of Military Focus
The U.S. delegation’s trip is also intended to deepen understanding of drone warfare, an area military leaders say Ukraine is pioneering. During an appearance Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Driscoll said that drones were the “threat of humanity’s lifetime.” He has made integrating drones into the U.S. military arsenal a central focus of his tenure as Army secretary.
Shmyhal said in his post that the Americans were shown Ukraine’s “developments in defense innovation: production of FPV drones, interceptors, and deep-strike capabilities.”
Next Steps: Potential Talks with Russia
A U.S. official said Driscoll hopes to make a subsequent trip to meet with Russian officials for similar negotiations, with the intent of achieving Trump’s aim for peace as swiftly as possible in a way both sides can support.
- Who: U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and top Army brass, Ukrainian leaders including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal
- What: High-level visit to support peace talks and review defense cooperation and drone warfare innovations
- Where: Kyiv, Ukraine; broader diplomacy involving Ankara, Turkey
- When: Visit confirmed Wednesday; follows Trump-Putin meeting in August and new U.S. sanctions
- Why it matters: Potential to revive peace negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war while advancing U.S.-Ukraine defense collaboration
The Wall Street Journal first reported the visit by the Army officials.
Conclusion
What’s next: Driscoll’s Kyiv mission underscores a dual-track U.S. approach: supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities while seeking to reignite negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war. With new U.S. sanctions in place and further diplomatic outreach under consideration, the focus now turns to whether Moscow and Kyiv will engage in renewed talks. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
