US holding Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Abu Dhabi, media reports
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll traveled to Abu Dhabi on Nov. 24 for negotiations with Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, and a Russian delegation, Driscoll's spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Tolbert, confirmed to Axios.
Driscoll and the Russian team began talks the night of Nov. 24, the Financial Times reported earlier, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
"The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronized with the White House and the U.S. interagency as these talks progress," the spokesperson said on Nov. 25.
An unnamed source told Axios that Budanov is holding talks with both the U.S. and the Russian delegations.
The names of the Russian delegates were not specified.
When asked whether such a meeting is taking place, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Nov. 25 that Moscow had no comment on the reports.
The Kyiv Independent reached out to Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) for comment.
The talks follow negotiations among U.S., Ukrainian, and European representatives in Geneva, Switzerland regarding the latest peace plan backed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The plan, developed behind closed doors by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, sparked backlash in Ukraine and Europe over provisions seen to skew heavily towards Moscow. The plan demanded sweeping territorial concessions, a constitutional commitment that Ukraine would never join NATO, and signifant reductions to Ukraine's army.
In his nightly address on Nov. 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the plan had been scaled back from its original 28 points following the Geneva talks, and that the revised version is more aligned with Ukraine's needs.
Zelensky said more work was needed to finalize the agreement and described the process as "very difficult."
