Lead: U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held a previously undisclosed meeting on Monday in Abu Dhabi with a Russian delegation to follow up on this past weekend’s U.S.-Ukraine talks in Geneva, a U.S. official told ABC News. The talks in Geneva had presented a 28-point U.S. peace plan for Ukraine that U.S. negotiators say was revised over the weekend to 19 points; Driscoll traveled to Abu Dhabi to review those changes and was scheduled to meet the Russian delegation again on Tuesday. It remains unclear which Russian officials composed the delegation and what, if any, concessions were discussed or agreed.
Key takeaways
- U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met privately with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi on Monday as part of a U.S. initiative to revive Ukraine peace talks.
- The U.S. peace proposal presented in Geneva was reduced from 28 points to 19 points; two removed elements reportedly include an amnesty provision and limits on the future size of Ukraine’s military.
- The Geneva U.S. delegation was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Army Secretary Driscoll; Rubio returned to the U.S. after the talks while Driscoll continued to Abu Dhabi.
- Driscoll was slated to meet the same Russian delegation again on Tuesday, according to a U.S. official; the Russian delegation’s membership was not publicly identified.
- Senior U.S. military officers who accompanied Driscoll into Ukraine did not participate in the Geneva talks and were not involved in the Abu Dhabi meetings.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said further work on the plan was needed following its revision this weekend.
Background
Since the outbreak of the conflict, diplomatic efforts to secure a negotiated settlement have involved multiple actors and shifting U.S. approaches. Over the weekend in Geneva, U.S. and Ukrainian officials discussed a detailed, 28-point plan that U.S. negotiators later trimmed to 19 points; that trimming reportedly removed provisions related to amnesty for wartime acts and caps on Ukraine’s future force size. The involvement of a U.S. military service secretary in these talks is unusual in contemporary practice, reflecting the Trump administration’s decision to assign Army Secretary Driscoll a prominent role after discussions between President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance two weeks earlier. Observers note that sending a senior military official can signal both operational seriousness and a different diplomatic channel that Moscow and Kyiv may view differently than a solely State Department-led process.
The Geneva meetings were described by U.S. officials as part of a push to restart substantive negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The U.S. team was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Driscoll. After the Geneva session concluded, Rubio returned to the United States while Driscoll continued on a separate diplomatic track that brought him to Abu Dhabi. Russian officials initially indicated they had not been briefed publicly about the Geneva discussions or any subsequent revisions to the U.S. plan.
Main event
On Monday in Abu Dhabi, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met privately with an unnamed Russian delegation to explain and seek reaction to revisions made to the U.S. proposal discussed in Geneva. According to a U.S. official who spoke to ABC News, Driscoll’s visit was a planned follow-up to ensure Moscow had advance sight of adjustments before any broader circulation. The meeting was not publicly announced before it occurred, and the U.S. official confirmed Driscoll was scheduled to meet the delegation again on Tuesday.
Details about who represented Russia were not provided by U.S. or Russian sources, and no joint statement followed the meeting. U.S. officials emphasized that the revisions reduced the plan from 28 to 19 points and removed at least two sensitive items: an amnesty clause for wartime acts and explicit limits on Ukraine’s future military size. Ukrainian officials, including President Zelenskyy, indicated the plan still required additional work after it was revised.
Prior to the Geneva talks and the Abu Dhabi follow-up, Driscoll had traveled into Ukraine with senior U.S. Army leaders, including Gen. Randy George, Gen. Chris Donahue, Sergeant Major Michael Weimer and Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard. Those senior military figures did not participate in the Geneva negotiations and were not part of the Abu Dhabi meetings, according to U.S. officials. The separate tracks suggest a division between military-to-military posture and the negotiators assigned to the diplomatic initiative.
Analysis & implications
The use of an Army secretary as a principal interlocutor with Moscow represents an atypical diplomatic channel that could carry both advantages and risks. On one hand, military representation may be perceived by both Moscow and Kyiv as signaling seriousness about security guarantees and implementation mechanisms. On the other hand, it blurs the usual civilian diplomatic lines and could complicate coordination with NATO partners and the Ukrainian government if expectations about military constraints or enforcement are misaligned.
Substantively, the removal of an amnesty clause and caps on Ukraine’s military from the U.S. draft changes the negotiation landscape. Amnesty provisions are politically sensitive in Kyiv and among Ukraine’s allies, and limits on force size touch on sovereignty and long-term deterrence; omitting those items may make the package more acceptable to Kyiv but could reduce incentives for Moscow if it had sought those concessions. How Moscow responds to a slimmer, 19-point framework will be a key test of whether these U.S.-led efforts can bridge competing red lines.
Internationally, a U.S.-brokered revision that moves away from controversial concessions could be framed as an attempt to preserve Ukrainian autonomy while pushing for ceasefire and de-escalation measures. However, absent transparent, verifiable mechanisms and buy-in from key stakeholders in Kyiv and Moscow, any agreement risks being unstable. The secretive nature of the Abu Dhabi meetings also raises questions about the inclusiveness of the process and whether other Western partners were sufficiently informed or consulted.
Comparison & data
| Aspect | Original U.S. draft | Revised draft |
|---|---|---|
| Number of points | 28 | 19 |
| Amnesty for wartime acts | Included | Removed |
| Limits on Ukraine’s military size | Included | Removed |
The table summarizes the reported changes from the ABC News account: a reduction from 28 to 19 points and the removal of at least two politically charged items. Those deletions could reflect U.S. efforts to craft a set of measures more likely to gain Ukrainian assent, while preserving elements aimed at de-escalation. The exact content of the remaining 19 points has not been publicly released and will shape assessments of the plan’s viability.
Reactions & quotes
Ukrainian reaction was cautious, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaling that more work was required before Kyiv could endorse a plan.
“More work needs to be done on the plan,”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
U.S. officials framed Driscoll’s Abu Dhabi meetings as part of a deliberate U.S. push to move the process forward after Geneva.
“The Abu Dhabi meetings were a follow-up to Geneva to ensure Moscow saw the proposed revisions,”
U.S. official speaking to ABC News (anonymous)
Russian officials publicly said they had not been updated on Geneva discussions when first asked, highlighting a disconnect in communications about the weekend talks.
“We have not received official updates about what was discussed in Geneva,”
Russian official (statement to media)
Unconfirmed
- Membership of the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi has not been publicly confirmed and may include a mix of diplomats and security officials.
- Reports that specific items beyond amnesty and force limits were removed from the U.S. draft have not been independently verified.
- Any concrete commitments or concessions agreed in Abu Dhabi have not been announced and remain unconfirmed.
Bottom line
The Abu Dhabi meetings underscore a renewed U.S. push to restart a stalled Ukraine peace process, using an unconventional mix of diplomatic and military interlocutors. Cutting the U.S. proposal from 28 to 19 points and removing politically explosive items suggests U.S. negotiators are seeking a narrower path to initial agreement that Kyiv can accept.
However, the secrecy around the Abu Dhabi talks, limited transparency on who represented Russia, and remaining public skepticism from Kyiv make a quick or durable breakthrough unlikely without broader consultations and clearer implementation mechanisms. The coming days, including any public responses from Moscow and further engagement with Ukrainian leaders, will determine whether the revised framework can move from proposal to practical progress.
Sources
- ABC News — media report with reporting from U.S. officials and statements referenced.