United States Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held secret talks on Monday with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to follow up on this weekend’s talks with Ukraine in Geneva that were intended to move the Ukraine peace process forward, a U.S. official told ABC News.
Driscoll was slated to meet again with the Russian delegation on Tuesday, the official said. It was unclear what Russian officials made up the Russian delegation.
The previously undisclosed talks with the Russian delegation on Monday follow the talks held in Geneva this past weekend between the U.S. and Ukraine and are the latest indication that the new U.S. initiative to restart the peace process in Ukraine is moving forward.
The U.S. delegation at the talks in Geneva was headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Army Secretary Driscoll.
ABC News has learned that the 28-point peace plan presented by the U.S. to Ukraine in Geneva has been revised to a 19-point peace plan that no longer includes a point on the issue of amnesty regarding acts committed during the war, as well as limits on the future size of Ukraine’s military.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said in an address on Monday night that more work needed to be done on the plan that was revised this weekend.
In the wake of this weekend’s talks, Russian officials had said that they had not received any updates about what had been discussed in Geneva and what revisions had been made following the talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
At the conclusion of the Geneva talks, Rubio returned to the United States and Driscoll traveled to Abu Dhabi, where on Monday, he met secretly with a Russian delegation to go over the changes made to the 28-point plan discussed in Geneva, according to the official.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, listens to President Donald Trump speak to reporters, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Nurphoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Last week, as Driscoll headed into Ukraine for meetings with Ukrainian officials to move the peace process forward, U.S. officials told ABC News that there was a possibility that in the future Driscoll may meet with Russian officials, though it was unclear when that might take place.
The Army Secretary’s key role in the Trump administration’s efforts to restart the peace talk process emerged following a discussion between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance two weeks ago.
Typically, a secretary for one of the military services would not be involved in such an important diplomatic overture, but it is possible that sending military might be seen favorably by both Russia and Ukraine.
Ahead of his trip to Ukraine, Driscoll had discussions with Rubio and Steve Witkoff, who has been the administration’s envoy who has worked on peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Stopping in Germany, Driscoll and his delegation participated in additional updates prior to their trip into Ukraine.
Accompanying Driscoll on his trip into Ukraine were Gen. Randy George, the chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Chris Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer, and Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, who heads the U.S. military assistance program for Ukraine.
These senior U.S. military officers did not participate in the subsequent talks in Geneva and are not involved in the latest talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi.