The United States has made significant strides toward a potential resolution to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine, with multiple U.S. officials confirming this week that Kyiv has agreed to the broad terms of a U.S.-brokered proposal. While a final deal is not yet complete, negotiations have accelerated across Geneva and Abu Dhabi as American officials shuttle between Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
A senior U.S. official told both ABC News and CBS News that Ukraine had “agreed to a peace deal,” adding, that “there are some minor details to be sorted out but they have agreed to a peace deal.” According to officials familiar with the process, the understanding was reached during weekend talks in Geneva rather than in the United Arab Emirates, where follow-up discussions are now taking place.
Talks in Switzerland were led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. During the Geneva sessions, the U.S. presented Ukraine with a revised peace plan — pared down from 28 provisions to 19 — after removing proposed clauses involving wartime amnesty and limits on the size of Ukraine’s future armed forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said further refinement would still be needed.
Following the Geneva meetings, Rubio returned to Washington while Driscoll flew to Abu Dhabi for a previously undisclosed session with a Russian delegation. Additional sources confirmed that Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s intelligence chief, was also in the UAE, meeting with U.S. officials and potentially preparing for contact with Russian counterparts.
A group of senior Army leaders — including Gen. Randy George, Gen. Chris Donahue, Sgt. Maj. Michael Weimer and Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard — accompanied Driscoll on the Ukraine trip, though they have not taken part in the high-level peace negotiations.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Tolbert, speaking for the U.S. Army, said Tuesday that “Late Monday and throughout Tuesday, Secretary Driscoll and team have been in discussions with the Russian delegation to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine,” noting that the talks appeared to be progressing. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed that optimism, saying a handful of “delicate, but not insurmountable” issues still needed resolution.
Moscow has not publicly confirmed its presence in Abu Dhabi. Russian officials had earlier stated they were still waiting to see the revisions made in Geneva. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that while Russia “appreciates the U.S.’ position,” it would not comment in detail until Washington updated Moscow on consultations with Kyiv and European partners.
Lavrov emphasized that Russia expected the new proposal to align with principles shaped during Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska in August, stating that the “key proposals of Trump’s plan are based on understandings reached in Anchorage,” and warning that “If there will be no spirit and letter of Anchorage on the key understandings that we have fixated, then it will be a different situation in principle.”
Ukraine’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, confirmed that negotiators had reached a shared understanding of the plan’s “core terms,” with consultations involving the U.S., European partners and Ukrainian officials continuing. He said Kyiv now hopes to arrange a visit for Zelenskyy to the United States “at the earliest suitable date in November” to complete the deal with President Trump.
Despite the momentum, the White House says no Zelenskyy–Trump meeting has been scheduled. Russia has offered no direct comment on whether it accepts the emerging terms.
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