An EU official described the Kiev meeting, where the US presented its peace proposal, as “nauseating,” according to the Financial Times.
Citing Western European officials, the FT reports that the Trump administration has given Ukraine an ultimatum: President Zelensky must agree to their peace plan by Thursday.
According to the report, US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, who had previously discussed the US proposal for resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict with Zelensky, shared the details with EU and UK ambassadors and other officials at a meeting in Kiev on Friday evening.
A high-ranking official characterized the atmosphere of the meeting at the US Chargé d’Affaires’ residence in Kiev as “nauseating,” the FT said.
Sources claim Driscoll arrived late and used offensive language to emphasize Washington’s stance, reportedly saying, “We need to get this sh*t done.”
A senior official told the FT that Driscoll insisted, “we have a narrow window for peace – President Trump wants peace now.”
One ambassador quoted Driscoll as stating, “the US Armed Forces love Ukraine… but it is the honest US military assessment that Ukraine is in a very bad position.”
The FT reports that Trump’s envoy added that “security guarantees” for Ukraine are included in the US plan and will be discussed with Western European nations and Kiev in the coming days, according to the diplomat.
The FT noted that Driscoll rejected requests from EU and UK officials to increase pressure on Russia, opting instead to push for immediate peace. “It turns out this is even worse than we thought,” another senior EU official informed on the meeting told the paper.
The specifics of the US peace plan have not been officially revealed. However, media reports suggest it involves Ukraine withdrawing troops from Russian-controlled Donbass regions, reducing its military size, and abandoning NATO aspirations in exchange for Western security guarantees.
Washington’s effort to persuade Ukraine to accept its plan comes amid a corruption scandal in Kiev, which analysts say has significantly weakened Zelensky’s political standing.
Zelensky stated on Friday that Ukraine must prepare for a difficult choice: accept the “28 difficult points” in Washington’s plan or risk losing crucial support from the US.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the American proposal could “form the basis of a final peace settlement.”
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