The Guardian: US minister and NATO envoys hold sombre meeting in Kyiv over US "peace plan"

Ivanna Kostina, Roman Petrenko - 22 November, 15:53

Dan Driscoll. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll briefed NATO ambassadors on the Trump team's "peace plan" during a late-night meeting in Kyiv on Friday 21 November after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a phone call with the White House.

Source: The Guardian, citing a meeting participant, as reported by European Pravda

Details: At the meeting, US officials reportedly told NATO allies that they expect to push Zelenskyy into signing a peace deal in the coming days, warning that if Kyiv does not do so it will face much worse terms later.

"No deal is perfect, but it must be done sooner rather than later", said Driscoll according to one person who was present at the meeting.

The mood in the room was described as sombre. Several European ambassadors questioned both the substance of the proposed deal and the way the United States had conducted talks with Russia without keeping allies informed.

"It was a nightmare meeting. It was the 'you have no cards' argument again", the source said, referring to Trump's remark that Zelenskyy had no cards to play, also made during a contentious White House meeting back in February.

Driscoll declined to say whether the deal on the table matches the 28-point plan published by the media. "Some things matter, some are window dressing – and we are most focused on the things that matter", he said, according to the source.

He added that "President Trump wants peace now. The more cooks in the kitchen, the harder it is to handle".

Julie Davis, the US chargée d'affaires in Kyiv, was also present at the meeting. She told diplomats that while the terms were punitive for Ukraine, it had no choice but to accept them or face worse conditions in future. "The deal does not get better from here, it gets worse", she said.

Background:

On the night of 20-21 November, Axios published the full list of points in the new US "peace plan" presented to Ukraine and also, a document setting out security guarantees for Kyiv.
On Friday 21 November, Zelenskyy addressed Ukrainians, warning that the country now faces a difficult choice and risks either losing its dignity or its key partner.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!