The United States and Ukraine have reached agreement on a revised peace framework as negotiations accelerated this week, with U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll meeting Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to push for a final settlement to the 33-month conflict.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators reached a breakthrough over the weekend in Geneva, where Ukrainian officials said the revised draft addressed their key national priorities.
A U.S. official confirmed that “the Ukrainians have agreed to the peace deal,” noting only “minor details” remained before the framework is finalized between Kyiv and Washington.
The development follows weekend talks in Geneva in which U.S. and Ukrainian representatives narrowed a previously 28-point proposal down to roughly 19 key points, according to multiple officials familiar with the discussions.
Revisions Remove Earlier Points of Contention
The updated plan removes one of the most controversial elements of the original outline — a requirement that Ukraine give up its entire eastern Donbas region. The revised terms leave the territorial questions to be resolved directly between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a later stage.
Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya said the revised framework bears little resemblance to the initial proposal, which some described as aligned with Russian demands.
“Very few things are left from the original version,” Kyslytsya told the Financial Times, adding that negotiators had reached “a solid body of convergence.”
The new plan also removes the earlier requirement that Ukraine permanently abandon aspirations for NATO membership — a point Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “root cause” of the war.
Driscoll Meets Russian Delegation
Secretary Driscoll arrived in Abu Dhabi after the Geneva negotiations, where he has been holding talks with Russian representatives to secure what the Army described as a “lasting peace.”
“The talks are going well and we remain optimistic,” Lt. Col. Jeffrey Tolbert said Tuesday, adding that Driscoll remained in close coordination with the White House throughout the process.
Russia, however, signaled it still expects the final agreement to reflect what Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described as “key understandings” Putin believes he reached with Trump during their Aug. 15 summit in Anchorage, Alaska.
Zelensky Seeking U.S. Trip To Finalize Agreement
Ukraine’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, said Kyiv is seeking to arrange a Zelensky visit to the United States “at the earliest suitable date” to complete final steps.
Zelensky warned on X that Russia would attempt to “derail this opportunity for an agreement and prolong the war,” citing ongoing disinformation efforts and pressure from actors seeking to weaken Ukraine’s negotiating position.
Russian Strikes Kill at Least 7 in Kyiv
As negotiations continue, Russia launched extensive overnight missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, killing at least seven people and damaging residential buildings, energy infrastructure, and a supermarket warehouse.
Ukrainian officials said over 460 drones and 22 missiles were launched across the country in what became one of the largest barrages in weeks.
A subsequent strike Tuesday in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynyi district killed four more people and injured three, according to city officials.
Neighboring Romania and Moldova also reported drone violations in their airspace.
U.S., Ukraine, and Russia Continue Indirect Progress
Despite the escalation, U.S. and Ukrainian officials maintain that momentum from the Geneva talks represents the most significant breakthrough since Trump began his push for a negotiated end to the war earlier this year.
No timeline has been provided for when Russia and Ukraine would meet directly or when Trump and Zelensky may finalize the territorial provisions.
