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U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll warned Ukrainian officials in Kyiv that the country’s forces are facing a deteriorating battlefield situation and are on course for an inevitable defeat by Russian troops, NBC News reported.
According to the outlet’s sources, Driscoll told his Ukrainian counterparts during last week’s visit that Russia is increasing the scale and pace of its airstrikes. He cautioned that Moscow can sustain combat operations indefinitely and said Ukraine’s position would only worsen over time, making it better to pursue a negotiated settlement now rather than from a weaker position later.
The U.S. delegation also said American defense industry capacity will not allow Washington to keep supplying Ukraine with the weapons and air-defense systems needed to protect its infrastructure and civilian population.
Two sources told NBC that Driscoll’s warning came after he presented a U.S.-backed peace plan that Ukrainian officials viewed as tantamount to capitulation to Moscow.
“The messenger was essentially: you’re losing and you need to take the deal,” one source said.
Divisions within Trump’s team
Driscoll’s meeting was part of efforts by some Trump administration officials to pressure Kyiv to quickly accept a new peace proposal, even though the document included maximalist Russian demands and required painful concessions from Ukraine, several current and former Western officials told NBC.
Ukraine politely declined to sign the plan as presented, and it has since been significantly revised, the report says.
The episode underscores long-standing divisions within Trump’s team over how to end the war. The split reflects growing political rivalry between two potential 2028 presidential contenders—Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to officials, one camp — including Vance, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and others — sees Ukraine as the main obstacle to peace and supports using U.S. leverage to push Kyiv toward major concessions. The opposing camp, represented by Rubio and his allies, blames Russia for the invasion and argues that Moscow will retreat only if pressured through sanctions and other tools.
Trump himself has wavered on how to approach the conflict, as advisers, Republican lawmakers and European leaders compete for his attention.
The U.S. peace plan
Reports emerged last week that Washington had drafted a new peace proposal for Ukraine. The 28-point document was presented to Kyiv but contained provisions Ukraine found unacceptable. On 23 November, U.S., Ukrainian and European delegations met in Geneva to revise the draft and make it more favorable for Kyiv.
According to the Financial Times, the proposal was reduced from 28 to 19 points, though Trump hinted it had been narrowed to 22.
In a joint U.S.–Ukraine statement after the Geneva talks, the sides said they had developed a framework document, with the final version to be approved during a meeting between the two countries’ leaders.
