The White House has officially announced significant progress in negotiations regarding a peace plan for Ukraine. Several sensitive issues between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States remain to be resolved.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement on the progress of the talks. Axios, Sky News, Reuters, and the Financial Times have reported additional details regarding the dialogue.
"Over the past week, the United States has made tremendous progress toward a peace agreement by bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table. There are a few sensitive but not insurmountable details that need to be resolved and will require further negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States," Leavitt wrote.
According to Axios, talks between US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the Russian side in Abu Dhabi are ongoing. Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Tolbert, Driscoll's spokesperson, stated: "The negotiations are going successfully, and we remain optimistic. Driscoll is working closely with the White House and the US interagency team as these negotiations advance."
The American delegation is proceeding on the basis that an "understanding has been reached" regarding the updated document following talks with Ukraine in Geneva. The US is now attempting to secure Russia's support.
Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (GUR), is conducting negotiations with both the American and Russian sides, an Axios source reported. A meeting of the Ukrainian-Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi was originally scheduled to address other matters, but Driscoll seized the opportunity to attend, altering the initial plan.
Ukraine's NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov confirmed that Ukraine and the US have "reached a common understanding on key terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva." Ukrainian officials told Axios that the US agreed to strengthen the draft security guarantees agreement, which was proposed in parallel with the 28-point plan.
Several key points, specifically the territorial issue, have been excluded from the new version of the peace plan. These will be discussed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump during a personal meeting.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that Europe will not push its own conflict resolution plan for Ukraine and stands ready to cooperate on the US proposal.
"There was a strong consensus that we must work with the existing text—even though some parts are unacceptable, while others are substantial—rather than with a different text," Starmer said during a speech in the House of Commons.
The US and Ukraine achieved progress on the peace initiative during the Geneva talks, the British PM added. "The plan must be based on the following core principles: Ukraine's sovereignty must be ensured, Ukraine must have the ability to defend itself in the future, and issues concerning Ukraine and its future must be determined by Ukraine," Starmer declared.
Citing Sky News, a Ukrainian government source confirmed to Reuters that Ukraine supports the main provisions of the peace agreement. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump are expected to discuss the most sensitive unresolved issues soon.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated there will be no peace in Ukraine as long as Putin believes he controls the situation. "He will insist on capitulation, not peace. Agreeing to this will encourage greater aggression worldwide, and it will come back to haunt us all," the senator emphasized.
The Financial Times reported that Ukraine has agreed to limit its army size to 800,000 personnel in the draft peace plan. Sensitive questions regarding security guarantees and territories have been left for discussion between Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump.
According to an Axios source, the Ukrainian delegation led by Kyrylo Budanov is also in Abu Dhabi, conducting negotiations with both American and Russian teams.
Peace negotiations on Ukraine have passed through several key stages in recent days. On November 23, talks were held in Geneva between Ukrainian and American delegations, where an updated version of the peace plan was discussed. The US initially insisted on a November 27 deadline to finalize the document, but later abandoned rigid timeframes, adopting a more flexible position.
Following the negotiations, Ukraine and the US released a joint statement announcing "substantial progress" in coordinating positions. The original 28-point document was reduced to 19, with some issues set aside for separate discussion. In parallel, the US proposed a draft framework agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, built on NATO Article 5 principles but adapted for a bilateral model.
The White House stated that most points of the plan have already been agreed upon, with only a few disagreements remaining. The Ukrainian delegation led by Kyrylo Budanov is in Abu Dhabi, where negotiations are underway with both the American and Russian sides. Final agreement on the most sensitive issues is expected to be reached by Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump during a personal meeting.
