US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll delivered a blunt and troubling message to Ukrainian officials during a meeting in Kiev last week, warning that Ukraine faces “imminent defeat” on the battlefield if the current trajectory continues, two sources familiar with the discussion told NBC News.
Driscoll said Ukrainian forces are under increasing pressure as Russia has stepped up its airstrikes, significantly escalating both the scale and pace of the attacks. The Russians, he told officials, have the ability to sustain their military campaign “indefinitely.”
“The message was basically – you’re losing”
According to one source, Driscoll’s assessment was brutally direct. “The message was basically – you’re losing,” the source told the paper.
“And you have to accept the deal.
The U.S. delegation also reportedly warned that the U.S. defense industry could no longer supply weapons and air defense systems at the level needed to halt Russian advances and protect Ukraine’s population and infrastructure.
A proposal supported by the United States considered a capitulation
Driscoll’s grim assessment was accompanied by the introduction of a new US-backed peace plan that Ukrainian officials saw as biased towards Moscow. The proposal, according to news sources, demanded major concessions from Kiev and accepted several maximalist demands from Russia — terms that many in Ukraine consider politically and strategically unacceptable.
Ukrainian officials saw the plan as pressure on them to back down from a weakened position, calling it a near capitulation rather than a negotiated settlement.
Ukraine rejects early version of peace plan, demands revisions
Ukraine has refused to sign a US-backed peace plan presented in Kiev last week, telling US officials that the proposal in its current form is unacceptable. The plan has since undergone major revisions, according to several US and Ukrainian officials.
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Leaked 28-point plan sparks confusion
The diplomatic tussle intensified after the alleged 28-point US peace plan was leaked to the media last week. The document, officials say, was created during discussions in Miami between Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
White House officials described it as a US proposal with “Russian and Ukrainian input.” But several senators said Rubio told them privately that it was suggested by the Russians — a claim he later denied.
Some of the provisions contradicted previous US positions, including language that appeared to bar US troops from entering Poland and would require Ukraine to cede territory, scale back its military and renounce NATO membership.
The Secretary of the US Army informed Kyiv
In an unconventional move, the White House chose Driscoll — not a diplomat — to present the plan in Kiev. Driscoll, a classmate of Vance’s at Yale Law School, was already scheduled to visit Ukraine for drone talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded with “serious doubts,” according to officials briefed on the meeting, but avoided an outright denial. He emphasized that Kiev is willing to engage in diplomatic negotiations, but not under conditions considered capitulation.
After rejecting the original proposal, US officials say the peace plan has been substantially rewritten.
Kyiv has not yet closed the door to talks. But Ukrainian officials say that any plan that legitimizes Russia’s territorial claims or undermines their sovereignty will not be accepted.
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