Trump’s negotiator warned Europeans that the terms of the peace treaty could be worse – FT

Negotiations in Kyiv: Statements of Western Diplomats on the Tone of the Meeting with Driscoll

During the negotiations in Kyiv, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll raised concerns among European diplomats with his statements on peaceful resolution in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

According to the Financial Times, an unnamed European official described the tone of the meeting with Driscoll as “nauseating.” In discussions with European partners, Driscoll allegedly avoided questions regarding Russia’s responsibility for war crimes, which caused outrage among European officials. Specifically, Driscoll noted that some territories would remain under Russian control and the question is only about the timing of when this will happen. According to many European diplomats, this could indicate the United States’ readiness to concede certain terms of the agreement, which might complicate the situation for Ukraine.

Before the negotiations in Kyiv, media reported that Driscoll used the threat from Moscow as an argument for achieving a quicker peace settlement, which might not be advantageous for Ukraine. These meetings took place before the Ukrainian-American talks in Geneva, after which the amnesty clause for both conflict parties was excluded from the peace plan. This decision was made after consultations with Ukrainian officials, including Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishina, who confirmed this information.

It is also reported that on November 25, Driscoll participated in negotiations in Abu Dhabi with Ukrainian and Russian delegations. During these meetings, the next steps towards resolving the conflict were discussed.