In a dramatic escalation of diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a high-level Ukrainian delegation is en route to the United States for pivotal peace talks with the Trump administration. The meetings, set for Sunday, November 30, 2025, in Florida, come at a fraught moment for both Kyiv and Washington, as Ukraine faces mounting military and political pressures and the U.S. seeks to push forward a controversial new peace plan.
Leading the Ukrainian team is Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who stepped in after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigned amid a corruption scandal just days ago. Umerov is joined by Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, alongside other senior military, security, and foreign ministry officials. According to ABC News and Reuters, the U.S. side will be represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, businessman and son-in-law to President Donald Trump.
The two sides last met in Geneva about a week ago, where the peace plan was revised to address Ukrainian concerns. Now, the Florida talks are expected to finalize those results and “swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war,” as President Zelenskyy stated via social media on Saturday. “Ukraine continues to work with the United States in the most constructive way possible, and we expect that the results of the meetings in Geneva will now be hammered out in the United States,” Zelenskyy added. He emphasized that Ukraine is working for a “dignified peace.”
Yet, as the diplomatic machinery grinds forward, the violence on the ground has not let up. Overnight into Saturday, Kyiv was hit by a major Russian attack. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha took to social media to underscore the urgency, writing, “While everyone is discussing points of peace plans, Russia continues to pursue its ‘war plan’ of two points: to kill and destroy.” Sybiha further argued, “Putin wants to prolong the war at any cost. The war he cannot win—and the war refuses to end. But the international community has the means to ensure that this cost becomes unbearable for him.” He called for increased international support, stronger sanctions on Russia, and the swift release of frozen Russian assets to bolster Ukraine’s defense.
The stakes for Ukraine are immense. According to Reuters, President Zelenskyy is under significant pressure from Washington to accept the terms of the peace agreement, facing what has been described as “the most difficult political and military situation since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022.” The details of the Florida agenda remain undisclosed, but it is clear that the talks aim to “finalize the results of previous negotiations held in Geneva,” as both U.S. and Ukrainian officials have reiterated.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s approach to the negotiations has drawn attention for its unconventional cast of characters and tactics. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a relative newcomer to international diplomacy, has been thrust into the spotlight as a key negotiator. Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran and former venture capitalist closely connected to Vice President JD Vance, was initially focused on modernizing Army systems and acquiring drones. But, as AP and DW report, he was tapped for this diplomatic role just about a week before his first visit to Kyiv, where he presented Trump’s plan directly to President Zelenskyy.
Following his Kyiv visit, Driscoll led talks with Russian officials in the United Arab Emirates, while special envoy Steve Witkoff was dispatched to Moscow to meet President Putin. Trump himself announced, “In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians.”
Driscoll’s negotiating style has become the subject of intense scrutiny. Ukrainian observers, quoted by DW, describe him as a “tough negotiator unfamiliar with the historical context of Ukrainian-Russian relations,” but one who could inject new energy into the peace process. Reports indicate that during his first visit on November 20, Driscoll used hardball tactics, warning Ukrainian officials that their forces could “suffer an imminent defeat” and that Russia was prepared to escalate airstrikes indefinitely. Such remarks, reportedly delivered in the presence of European diplomats, were intended to impress upon Kyiv the urgency of compromise.
Ivan Us, of Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, told DW, “People who have met him—especially Europeans—report that Driscoll blackmails, issues ultimatums, and is difficult to approach. The talks about a peace plan show that he only does what Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, want. If he is told a peace plan must be implemented, he will simply do it.” Another source described Driscoll as a “bulldozer,” though acknowledged that he was open to changes “where they made absolute sense.”
Driscoll’s close relationship with Vice President Vance, dating back to their days at Yale Law School, is seen as giving him considerable political leverage within the Trump administration. “There is something to be said about having someone who is probably texting with the vice president and therefore has that political juice,” said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as reported by AP.
The peace plan itself remains contentious. According to DW, key sticking points include the possible cession of Ukrainian territories to Russia and a permanent bar on Ukraine’s NATO membership—issues that strike at the heart of Ukraine’s sovereignty and security. Oleksandr Kraiev of Prism Ua, an independent Ukrainian think tank, observed, “Driscoll is continuing Trump’s tradition of having the military deal with the Ukraine issue. On the one hand, that’s good because it’s a military matter… but Driscoll is inexperienced in diplomatic matters; he’s a bureaucrat who wants to advance his career.”
Despite skepticism about Driscoll’s diplomatic chops and the administration’s understanding of the historical roots of the conflict, there’s a sense among Ukrainian analysts that his involvement could help break the deadlock—if only by sheer force of will. Yet, as Kraiev cautions, “Driscoll is just another special envoy, another person with very vague and unclear powers dealing with issues that are toxic for Donald Trump. In the end, however, Trump alone will decide on all issues concerning Ukraine.”
As the Florida talks get underway, the world watches to see whether this latest round of high-stakes diplomacy can deliver what has eluded so many before: a credible path to peace in Ukraine. The outcome will not only determine the fate of millions but could also reshape the balance of power in both Washington and Kyiv.