Axios: US envoy holds talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi as Ukraine peace efforts continue

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi after the U.S. and Ukraine reached initial understandings on a draft peace plan, Axios reports.

The discussions come after a week of intense diplomatic activity. On November 18, Axios revealed the outline of a proposed peace framework, initially causing concern in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials, however, have expressed growing optimism following refinements made during talks in Geneva.

Driscoll arrived in Abu Dhabi on November 24 and held talks with Russian delegates throughout November 25, a 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 synchronised with the White House and the U.S. interagency as these talks progress,” Tolbert said.

A Ukrainian delegation, led by military intelligence chief Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, is also in Abu Dhabi, meeting with both U.S. and Russian officials. Sources indicate that Driscoll’s visit was unplanned and altered the schedule of previously arranged meetings between Ukrainian and Russian intelligence chiefs.

Refining the framework

During Geneva discussions, the U.S. and Ukraine narrowed the draft peace framework from 28 points to 19. While a U.S. official suggested that Ukraine “has agreed to the peace deal,” Ukrainian authorities stressed that some details remain under discussion.

Zelenskyy’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, said the U.S. and Ukraine had reached “a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva.” Ukrainian officials confirmed that Washington had agreed to strengthen the draft security guarantees proposed in the initial plan.

Territorial concessions, the most sensitive element of the plan, are expected to be resolved directly between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Other issues, including NATO’s future, broader European security, and U.S.-Russia relations, have been removed from the immediate peace framework.

Russia’s position

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed the initial U.S. proposal but warned that any deviation from the understandings reached in Anchorage with President Trump could undermine Moscow’s acceptance. “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,” he said.

Next steps and escalation on the ground

Ukraine is reportedly planning a visit by President Zelenskyy to Washington in late November to finalise the deal with President Trump, although no official date has been set.

The diplomatic efforts come amid renewed military hostilities. Overnight, Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. President Zelenskyy reported that Russia deployed 460 drones and 22 ballistic missiles, resulting in at least six fatalities in the capital. In response, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed that Ukraine had launched 250 drones against Russian targets.

By Aghakazim Guliyev