U.S. Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and the Army’s top general have been dispatched to Ukraine by the Trump administration to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and restart discussions on potential peace negotiations with Russia, according to a U.S. official, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to ABC News.
Driscoll is scheduled to meet Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s prime minister and senior military leadership to examine possible frameworks for a renewed peace process and outline Washington’s current position on potential negotiations. Col. Dave Butler confirmed the visit on Wednesday, stating that Driscoll and his team arrived in Kyiv earlier in the day on a fact-finding mission aimed at reviewing efforts to bring the conflict to an end.
A U.S. official said before the delegation landed in Kyiv that Driscoll could potentially meet Russian officials in the future, though it remained uncertain whether he carried any new proposal to revive dialogue. Russia denied such plans, with Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stating there were no scheduled meetings with Driscoll and no indications that any discussions were being arranged.
The decision to send Driscoll resulted from a conversation last week between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. While military service secretaries are not typically assigned major diplomatic initiatives, administration officials suggested that a senior military representative might be viewed more favorably by Moscow. The Wall Street Journal first revealed Driscoll’s assignment.
Driscoll is accompanied by Gen. Randy George, Army Chief of Staff; Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa; Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer; and Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, who oversees U.S. military assistance programs supporting Ukraine. Before entering Ukraine, Driscoll held consultations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, the administration’s envoy involved in previous peace-talk efforts. The delegation made an additional stop in Germany for updated briefings prior to traveling into Kyiv.
Driscoll and George have repeatedly highlighted Ukraine’s rapid development of battlefield drones as an example of how the U.S. Army should accelerate its own weapons acquisition and production processes to meet modern combat requirements. Alongside discussions on potential peace negotiations, U.S. officials will meet Ukrainian defense and industry leaders to review drone and weapons development programs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the high-level visit, as entry into Ukraine by senior military leadership requires Pentagon approval.
Earlier we wrote that Zelensky and Macron Sign Defense Deal Involving Jets and Air-Defense Systems for Ukraine.
