Daniel Driscoll is now Donald Trump’s special representative. According to The Guardian, he plans to travel to Russia by the end of next week for talks with Vladimir Putin. Driscoll is a longtime friend of JD Vance.
Also, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and his team arrived in Geneva on November 22 for meetings with Ukrainian officials. Tomorrow, on November 23, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Representative Steve Witkoff will join the talks. Their goal is to coordinate positions before the planned meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump.
Ukraine and its European partners are pushing for fairer and more balanced changes to the plan.
US–Ukraine Dialogue
President Zelenskyy met US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll in Kyiv on November 20. The meeting brought no progress. Driscoll said the US would not be flexible about the plan. Daniel Driscoll noted that US President Donald Trump and his team have great respect for Ukraine. However, later he added in emotional wording that the war must be ended with concessions.
Moreover, the U.S. threatens that future conditions for Ukraine could become even worse.
European Adjustments to the Plan
A group of European leaders published a joint statement on the European Council website rejecting the current proposals. They stressed that weakening Ukraine’s army would leave the country exposed to future attacks. EU leaders have already sent Trump their own document with proposals for ending the war.
The statement was signed by President Costa, President von der Leyen, Prime Minister Carney, President Stubb, President Macron, Prime Minister Martin, Prime Minister Meloni, Prime Minister Takaichi, Prime Minister Schoof, Prime Minister Sánchez, Prime Minister Starmer, Chancellor Merz, and Prime Minister Støre.
Orbán and Fico, as usual, support the original plan.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the war can end only with Ukraine’s consent and Europe’s approval. He underlined that the future security of the entire continent depends on how this war ends. If Ukraine loses or collapses, it will reshape European politics. Merz also reminded Trump about the Budapest Memorandum.
This war can only be stopped with Ukraine’s consent and with our, European, consent, because this is a war on the European continent.
And the security of the whole of Europe will depend on how this war ends. If Ukraine loses and possibly collapses, it will affect the whole of European politics and the entire continent, said German Cancellor Freidrich Merz.
Conclusion
European leaders who oppose the current version of the plan strengthen Ukraine’s position. But it is unclear whether they can convince the US in such a short time. If Trump and his team stick to their demands, Europe will have to manage the consequences on its own.
Russia also remains unpredictable. There is no guarantee it would sign any deal. Rationally, Moscow needs a pause to rearm and revive its economy. Yet its imperial ambitions may push it to continue the war regardless of the circumstances.
