2:09A picture captured on Nov. 24, 2025, depicts the Independence Monument towering above Independence Square as structures in the distance are brightened by a ray of sun during daybreak in Kyiv, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images
A U.S. representative informed ABC News on Tuesday that a Ukrainian group has come to an understanding with the United States concerning the stipulations of a prospective accord for peace.
United States Army Secretary Dan Driscoll engaged in private discussions on Monday with a Russian team in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to build on the prior weekend's dialogues with Ukraine in Geneva that were designed to propel the Ukraine peace initiative, a U.S. official revealed to ABC News.
"The Ukrainians have consented to the peace agreement," the U.S. official stated. "Certain inconsequential elements still need resolution, but they have given their approval to a peace settlement."
The previously unpublicized conversations with the Russian group on Monday come after the discussions conducted in Geneva the prior weekend between the U.S. and Ukraine, serving as the newest indication that the recent U.S. endeavor to revive the peace endeavor in Ukraine is making headway.
"From late Monday and all through Tuesday, Secretary Driscoll and his personnel have been conferring with the Russian delegation to secure a sustainable peace in Ukraine," Lt. Col. Jeffrey Tolbert, a U.S. Army spokesperson, communicated on Tuesday. "The conversations are advancing favorably, and our outlook remains positive. Secretary Driscoll is in close coordination with the White House and the U.S. government agencies as these conversations progress."
Neither Ukraine nor Russia has formally verified the existence of their teams being in Abu Dhabi.
A source with knowledge of the exchanges verified to ABC News that Ukraine endorsed the new 19-point peace blueprint during the discussions in Geneva, not in Abu Dhabi.
The source further mentioned that Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukrainian intelligence, is presently in Abu Dhabi, participating in meetings with American functionaries and possibly engaging with Russian representatives as well.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, listens to President Donald Trump speak to reporters, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C.Nurphoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The U.S. contingent at the conversations in Geneva was overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Army Secretary Driscoll.
ABC News has come to understand that the 28-point peace strategy presented by the U.S. to Ukraine in Geneva has been amended to a 19-point peace strategy that no longer features a point concerning the matter of amnesty regarding actions carried out during the war.
Ukraine consented to refrain from increasing its military size under the updated plan, according to two sources informed on the subject who spoke with ABC News. The Ukrainian military presently consists of roughly 800,000 individuals, as stated by one source knowledgeable on the topic.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy indicated in a speech on Monday evening that further effort was required on the plan that underwent revisions this past weekend.
Following this weekend's conversations, Russian representatives voiced that they had not been given any updates regarding the content of discussions in Geneva or the modifications resulting from the talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
Upon concluding the Geneva conversations, Rubio journeyed back to the United States, and Driscoll traveled to Abu Dhabi, where he secretly convened with a Russian delegation on Monday to examine the changes applied to the 28-point plan addressed in Geneva, according to the official.
The prior week, as Driscoll proceeded to Ukraine for engagements with Ukrainian officials to progress the peace initiative, U.S. representatives disclosed to ABC News the likelihood of a future meeting between Driscoll and Russian representatives, though the timing remained uncertain.
A photograph taken on Nov. 24, 2025, shows The Independence Monument towers over Independence Square as buildings in the background are illuminated by a beam of sunlight during sunrise in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images
The Army secretary's pivotal function in the Trump administration's endeavors to reignite the peace discussion process materialized following a dialogue between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance two weeks prior.
Ordinarily, a secretary from one of the military branches would not be involved in such a weighty diplomatic gesture; however, deploying military personnel might be perceived positively by both Russia and Ukraine.
Leading up to his journey to Ukraine, Driscoll engaged in discussions with Rubio and Steve Witkoff, the administration's envoy dedicated to the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. During a stopover in Germany, Driscoll and his delegation participated in additional briefings before continuing their trip into Ukraine.
Accompanying Driscoll on his journey into Ukraine were Gen. Randy George, the chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Chris Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer, and Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, who helms the U.S. military assistance program for Ukraine.
These senior U.S. military officials did not participate in the subsequent conversations in Geneva and are not engaged in the recent dialogues with Russian functionaries in Abu Dhabi.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Tuesday that a few "sensitive, yet manageable" specifics require sorting out between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. before a conclusive peace agreement.
Trump conveyed on social media Tuesday that, aspiring to finalize the blueprint, he instructed Witkoff to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Driscoll to meet with the Ukrainians. He did not stipulate when these meetings would transpire.
"I anticipate potentially meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin in the near future, but ONLY when the agreement to cease this War is FINAL or approaching completion," Trump communicated.
As of now, no meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump has been scheduled, a White House representative reported to ABC News earlier on Tuesday.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
