US Officials Visit Ukraine Amid Reports of New Peace Plan

Senior Pentagon officials, led by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, have arrived in Kyiv to discuss efforts to end the ongoing conflict with Russia. The delegation is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky upon his return from Turkey.

Reports have emerged suggesting that the US and Russia have developed a 28-point peace plan, which allegedly includes major concessions from Ukraine. Neither Washington nor Moscow has officially confirmed these reports.

Earlier, a Russian missile and drone attack on the western city of Ternopil resulted in at least 26 fatalities, according to local officials.

"Secretary Driscoll and team arrived this morning in Kyiv on behalf of the administration on a fact-finding mission to meet Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war," said Army spokesman Col David Butler.

Driscoll is accompanied by US Army Chief of Staff Gen Randy George, top US Army commander in Europe Gen Chris Donahue, and Sgt Maj of the Army Michael Weimer.

An image released on Wednesday shows Driscoll meeting with Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal. Following the meeting, Shmyhal stated, "We focused on the next steps for implementing the historic defence agreements reached by President Zelensky and President Trump." He also expressed gratitude to Washington for approving a $105 million support package for the PATRIOT air-defense system.

A Ukrainian official, speaking to CBS, indicated that the discussions would address the military situation on the ground and plans for a possible ceasefire. The official noted, "Presidents Zelensky and Trump have already agreed to stop the conflict along the existing lines of engagement, and there are agreements on granting security guarantees."

Reports from outlets such as Axios, the Financial Times, and Reuters suggest that the US and Russia have privately drafted proposals to end the war. These plans reportedly call for Kyiv to cede certain territories and weapons and to significantly reduce the size of its armed forces. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev are believed to have been involved in formulating the 28-point peace plan.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to downplay these reports, stating, "In this case, we have no additional innovations to what we call 'the spirit of Anchorage,'" referring to the August summit between Putin and Trump in Alaska.

President Zelensky has consistently ruled out any territorial concessions to Russia. Kyiv and its Western allies, including the US, have been advocating for an immediate ceasefire along the front line. However, Moscow has dismissed this, reiterating demands that Ukraine considers tantamount to capitulation.

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow's preconditions for a peace deal—including ceding territory, imposing strict limitations on Ukraine's military size, and ensuring the country's neutrality—remain unchanged since they were outlined by President Putin two months before the full-scale invasion.