Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet senior Pentagon officials in Kyiv on Thursday, his office confirmed, amid growing reports of a United States proposal that could end the war on terms leaning strongly in Moscow’s favour.
The meeting comes one day after Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, cancelled a scheduled engagement with Zelensky in Turkey—a setback for Kyiv’s efforts to revive diplomatic momentum and regain Washington’s active pressure on Russia to halt its invasion.
It also follows a deadly Russian strike that left at least 26 people dead, marking one of Moscow’s most lethal attacks on Ukraine this year.
A Pentagon team led by US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko met with Driscoll the following day, describing the visit as a crucial moment for the officials to “assess the situation on the ground and to witness firsthand the consequences of Russian aggression”.
Zelensky’s aide, Dmytro Lytvyn, told reporters that the Ukrainian president will meet the delegation. The group had already held discussions with Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal on Wednesday evening.
Top-level US visits to Ukraine have been infrequent since Donald Trump returned to office in January.
Meanwhile, American media outlets have reported that Washington and Moscow have been quietly crafting a proposal aimed at ending the nearly four-year war sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
A source familiar with the draft proposal told AFP that the plan would require Kyiv to surrender territory and drastically reduce the size of its military—terms that amount to near-total capitulation.
The Kremlin has offered no comment on the reports. Both Washington and Kyiv have likewise refrained from publicly addressing the alleged proposals.
What you should know
Ukraine’s war with Russia, now approaching its fourth year, is increasingly shaped by international diplomacy, shifting alliances, and US political changes.
Zelensky’s planned meeting with Pentagon officials signals Kyiv’s ongoing push for military and strategic support, especially as reports surface of a proposed US–Russia plan that may pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions and major military reductions. Such terms would dramatically alter Ukraine’s defence posture and geopolitical future.
The cancellation of a meeting by Trump’s envoy highlights uncertainty in US engagement, while deadly Russian strikes continue to underscore the war’s severity. The situation remains tense, fluid, and highly consequential.
