Zelensky to Meet Senior Pentagon Officials in Kyiv Amid Reports of US Plan Favoring Kremlin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet senior Pentagon officials in Kyiv on Thursday, his office announced, as new details emerge about an alleged US proposal to end the war on terms reportedly advantageous to Moscow.

The visit comes one day after Steve Witkoff, the envoy of US President Donald Trump, skipped a planned meeting with Zelensky in Türkiye—a setback for Kyiv’s efforts to revive diplomacy and secure stronger US pressure on Russia to halt its invasion.

It follows one of the deadliest Russian attacks of the year, in which at least 26 people were killed in a strike on Wednesday.

A US delegation led by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who met Driscoll on Thursday, called the visit an opportunity for US officials “to assess the situation on the ground and witness firsthand the consequences of Russian aggression.”

Zelensky’s aide Dmytro Lytvyn confirmed the president plans to meet the delegation later in the day. The group also held talks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal on Wednesday evening.

High-level visits from US officials have been rare since President Trump returned to office in January.

US media have reported that Washington and Moscow have been quietly working on a potential framework to end the nearly four-year war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion. A source familiar with the draft told AFP the plan would demand that Ukraine cede territory and slash its army by more than half—terms the source described as tantamount to capitulation.

The Kremlin said it had no comment on the reports, while officials in Washington and Kyiv have also refrained from responding publicly.