US Army Secretary Den Driscoll met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on Monday. This was reported by Reuters from US representatives.
An anonymous official stated that Driscoll's discussions would continue on Tuesday. The members of the Russian delegation remain unidentified.
Driscoll is also expected to meet with Ukrainian officials during his stay in Abu Dhabi.
The White House has not yet commented on this information.
This information was also confirmed by CBS News from two American officials and two diplomatic sources who were not authorized to speak publicly.
"Driscoll had a several-hour meeting with members of the Russian delegation on Monday evening in Abu Dhabi. He plans to meet with them again during the day on Tuesday to discuss the peace process and move peace negotiations forward quickly," said the US representative.
Over the weekend, Driscoll, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, and diplomats from Ukraine and European allies participated in talks in Geneva (Switzerland). Driscoll's meeting with Russian officials followed his visit to the Ukrainian capital last week.
American and Ukrainian officials also discussed a possible visit to the US this week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, CBS News reported on Sunday. There are currently no specific plans for the Ukrainian leader's visit.
An official told CBS News that Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin appears to believe he will capture the Donetsk region of Ukraine one way or another – either through negotiations or on the battlefield. According to him, the Trump administration's talks in Geneva started from the point that Putin is right.
The latest US peace plan, consisting of 28 points, has raised new concerns that the Trump administration may pressure Ukraine into signing a deal that would be highly favorable to Moscow. According to American and Ukrainian officials, there is also a supplementary document related to security guarantees.
