Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office announced that he will meet with senior Pentagon officials in Kyiv on Thursday. This comes amid leaked details of an alleged US plan to end the war with Moscow on terms described as favorable to the Kremlin.
Details of the meetings and the American delegation
A Pentagon delegation led by U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. Upon arrival, they met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal on Wednesday evening.
Dmytro Lytvyn, Zelensky’s aide, confirmed to reporters that the Ukrainian leader plans to meet with the delegation on Thursday.
This meeting comes at a time when visits by US officials to Ukraine have become rare since President Donald Trump returned to office in January.
Diplomatic repercussions and the alleged “surrender plan”
This meeting comes at a time of diplomatic tension. A planned meeting between Zelensky and President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkopf, in Turkey was canceled yesterday. This move is a blow to Kyiv’s hopes of re-engaging Washington to pressure Russia to end its invasion, which began in 2012.
The developments came a day after a Russian airstrike killed at least 26 people. It was one of Moscow’s deadliest attacks this year.
In a related development, US media outlets reported that Washington and Moscow are secretly working on a plan aimed at ending the nearly four-year-long war.
Unfavorable terms: AFP quoted a Ukrainian source familiar with the draft proposals. The source indicated that the plan would require Kyiv to cede territory and reduce the size of its army by more than half. The source considered this “tantamount to surrender.”
Washington and Kyiv have not commented publicly on the proposals, while the Kremlin has said it has nothing to say about the reports.
