FT: US pushes Ukraine-Russia talks as Army Secretary visits Abu Dhabi

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll visits Abu Dhabi to meet Ukraine’s military intelligence chief and a Russian delegation as the US advances efforts for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Driscoll and the Russian delegation began talks on November 24, according to a US official and two sources familiar with the meeting, with discussions set to continue on November 25, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Financial Times (FT).

The makeup of Russia’s team was not immediately confirmed, while Driscoll was expected to meet Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defence Ministry Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), according to two sources. 

The Abu Dhabi meeting comes after weekend progress in talks between the Ukrainian and US delegations in Geneva, where the US Army Secretary also took part.

“Driscoll has been involved with this peace process pretty hot and heavy in the past few days,” said a US official, referring to recent discussions with Ukrainian officials. “He’s been obviously very involved, so he’s able to kind of communicate that piece” to Russia.

“Obviously, Ukraine knows what’s going on, they knew where he was coming” after Geneva, the official added.

The official noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, went their “separate ways to continue those pieces on their end. The nice thing about adding Dan Driscoll to this process is you’re adding to, not taking away, so he’s able to continue conversations and things like that.”

“Just like Secretary Rubio said yesterday, we’re going to continue this 24/7, all effort, we’re trying to move as fast and aggressively as possible.”

It was unclear whether the three sides in Abu Dhabi were meeting together or holding separate discussions.

These UAE talks follow several days of high-stakes meetings in Kyiv and Geneva, during which Driscoll presented the Trump administration’s controversial 28-point peace plan to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

After hours of negotiations, officials reached a new 19-point peace deal more favourable to Kyiv, leaving the most politically sensitive issues — including territorial disputes and relations between NATO, Russia, and the US — to be decided by the countries’ presidents, according to Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister Sergiy Kyslytsya.

Sources say the revised plan better aligns with Ukraine’s priorities: many of the “right elements” were included, while demands seen as favouring Moscow (like major territorial concessions) have been removed or softened.

The Kremlin, however, says it has not yet received an official version of the revised deal, even as negotiations continue.

By Jeyhun Aghazada