BIG update in Russia-Ukraine war as Trump working on ‘secret’ peace deal with…, US officials say Kremlin has shown…

Russia-Ukraine war: In a significant move which could result in a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, US President Doland Trump’s administration is reportedly working on a new peace plan with Russia, with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, leading back-channel negotiations with Moscow.

Trump working on new peace deal with Russia?

Citing sources, a CNN report said the pace of discussions increased this week as US officials believe the Kremlin has shown new openness to a potential agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Meanwhile, Trump’s Army Secretary Dan Driscoll led a senior team of top Pentagon officials to Ukraine on a “fact finding mission to meet with Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war”, as per a statement by US Army Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler. The visit was ordered by Trump as part of his administration’s efforts to revive peace efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, CNN reported, quoting a senior US official.

Why US Army Secretary visited Ukraine?

As per the CNN report, Driscoll was expected to brief President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top Ukrainian leaders on battlefield realities, weapons requirements and the emerging diplomatic track.

Confirming his meeting with Driscoll, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal shared a picture of the two leaders in a Telegram post, and thanked the United States for its “important support that saves the lives of Ukrainians every day”, adding that he “presented to partners our developments in the field of defense innovations” and “focused on the next steps to implement the historic defense agreements reached by President Zelensky and President Trump.”

Driscoll, believed to be a close aide of Vice President JD Vance from their time at Yale Law School, has largely worked on defence acquisitions, and has not been previously visible in earlier rounds of peace talks. He was accompanied to Ukraine by US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, Gen. Chris Donahue, the top US Army commander in Europe, and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer, CNN reported.

What did Moscow say?

Meanwhile, Russia acknowledged that high-level talks are underway, stating that the US-Russia engagement is continuing, including through Witkoff. In October, Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev visited the US, and sources in Moscow have described his meetings as “very productive discussions.”

According to an Axios report, a draft plan being negotiated between Washington and Moscow currently spans 28 points, covering security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe, along with the future of US relations with both countries.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov downplayed the report, saying there are “no new developments to report so far”, adding that there were discussions in Anchorage, but there have been “no updates yet” beyond that, rereferring to the August meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska.

Why Trump’s previous efforts failed?

Notably, earlier US-backed peace efforts had focused on freezing Russian and Ukrainian forces along present front lines, a plan backed by Europe and Ukraine as a basis for renewed talks. However, that approach was rejected by Kremlin, insisting it wanted a long-term settlement, not a temporary ceasefire.

The push for renewed dialogue comes as the Trump administration has repeatedly attempted to broker an end to the conflict, only for past efforts to collapse when Putin failed to commit to concrete terms.

“I thought that was going to be my easy one, because I have a good relationship with President Putin, but I’m a little disappointed in President Putin right now,” Trump said at a US-Saudi investment conference on Wednesday. “He knows that.”

After Trump spoke with Putin by phone last month, he believed enough progress had been made to plan an in-person summit in Budapest.
But within days, the meeting was canceled and new sanctions, the first imposed under Trump’s second administration, were rolled out.

(With ANI inputs)