Bloomberg: Driscoll's team says talks with Russians in UAE are going well, Budanov also in Abu Dhabi

Talks between US Army Minister Dan Driscoll during his visit to the UAE, where he met with Russian officials on Monday and Tuesday, are going well, his spokesman said. Amid reports of his expected talks with Ukrainian officials, it became known that the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, is also in Abu Dhabi for meetings, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.

Details

Driscoll held talks with Russian officials late Monday night and throughout Tuesday, said Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Tolbert, Driscoll's spokesman.

"The talks are going well, and we remain optimistic," Tolbert said.

According to a person familiar with the matter, "the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, is also in Abu Dhabi for meetings." Ukrainian military intelligence did not respond to Bloomberg News' requests for comment.

CBS News was the first to report on Driscoll's talks, and the Financial Times reported on Budanov's expected meetings in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Moscow expects the US to present an interim version of the plan after its completion, following coordination with Europeans and Ukrainians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Addition

On November 20, Axios published a 28-point peace plan by US President Donald Trump between Ukraine and Russia, which includes territorial concessions, restrictions on Ukraine's armed forces, certain US guarantees, and economic components.

Against this background, Ukraine and the US began negotiations in Geneva. The negotiations lasted on November 23 and 24. As a result, the initial 28-point peace plan of the US was reduced to 19 points.

The Ukrainian delegation, after a meeting with the US in Geneva, stated that there is a "common understanding regarding the key terms of the agreement," and a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the US is expected "at the earliest possible date in November" to reach an agreement with Trump.

This comes amid reports that Trump pressured Zelenskyy for a deal before the American Thanksgiving Day, November 27, although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called this deadline flexible.

The President's Office stated that any discussions of territorial issues would likely take place at a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.