U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll made a series of grim forecasts about the situation at the front during a recent visit to Kyiv and insisted on accepting the initial version of the U.S. peace plan, NBC reports citing sources, LETA reports citing UNIAN.
The situation in the Ukrainian army is getting worse – the Russians are increasing the pace of airstrikes, have virtually unlimited resources, and are capable of waging a prolonged war without slowing down, the minister stated to Ukrainian officials.
"Waiting longer means finding yourself in an even weaker position," Driscoll warned.
The American delegation indicated that the U.S. defense industry can no longer provide Ukraine with the necessary volumes of air defense systems and ammunition.
"Essentially, the message was this – you are losing, and you need to agree," one source said.
However, the Ukrainian side politely refused to sign the initial version of the peace plan, which was considered in Kyiv to be a de facto capitulation.
These events have become another manifestation of deep disagreements within President Donald Trump's team regarding how to end the war.
Supporters of Vice President James David Vance and Trump's special envoy Steve Whitcoff believe that it is Kyiv that is obstructing peace and insist on pressuring and forcing Ukraine to compromise.
In turn, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's camp blames Russia and believes that Moscow will only concede under the pressure of sanctions and a tough stance from the West.
Trump himself, according to NBC, often wavers between these two approaches.
After intense consultations in Geneva, the most problematic provisions of the plan were removed or altered.
Meanwhile, the official Kremlin has changed its rhetoric.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the initial draft was "correct," but the new version could "suppress the spirit of Anchorage," hinting at the August summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska.
Despite a tense start, Kyiv is already evaluating the new version much more positively.
According to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian and American delegations "reached an agreement on the main terms of the updated 19-point plan."
In recent days, U.S. diplomatic activity has intensified to put an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Washington representatives met with high-ranking Ukrainian officials in Geneva, and with the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi.
On Tuesday, Trump stated that Washington is "very close" to reaching an agreement with Ukraine and Russia to end the nearly four-year war.
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