US Army Secretary warned Ukraine of ‘imminent defeat’ in Kyiv meeting, urged acceptance of peace deal: Report

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll delivered a blunt and unsettling message to Ukrainian officials during a meeting in Kyiv last week, warning that Ukraine faced an “imminent defeat” on the battlefield if the current trajectory continued, NBC News cited two sources familiar with the discussion as saying.

Driscoll said Ukrainian forces were under increasing pressure as Russia intensified its aerial attacks, significantly escalating both the scale and pace of strikes. The Russians, he reportedly told officials, had the capability to sustain their military campaign “indefinitely.”

“The message was basically — you are losing”

According to one source, Driscoll’s assessment was brutally direct. “The message was basically — you are losing,” the source told the news outlet.

“And you need to accept the deal.”

The US delegation also reportedly warned that America’s defense industry could no longer supply weapons and air defense systems at the level required to hold off Russian advances and protect Ukraine’s population and infrastructure.

US-backed proposal viewed as capitulation

Driscoll’s bleak assessment accompanied the presentation of a new US-backed peace plan, which Ukrainian officials saw as tilted toward Moscow. The proposal, according to the news outlet's sources, demanded major concessions from Kyiv and accepted several of Russia’s maximalist demands — terms many in Ukraine viewed as politically and strategically unacceptable.

Ukrainian officials saw the plan as pressuring them into conceding from a weakened position, framing it as a near capitulation rather than a negotiated settlement.

Ukraine rejects early version of peace plan, seeks revisions

Ukraine has declined to sign the US-backed peace plan presented in Kyiv last week, telling American officials the proposal in its current form was unacceptable. The plan has since undergone major revisions, according to multiple US and Ukrainian officials.

A leaked 28-point plan sparks turmoil

The diplomatic scramble intensified after a purported 28-point US peace plan leaked to the media last week. The document, officials say, was shaped during discussions in Miami between Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

White House officials described it as an American proposal with “Russian and Ukrainian input.” But several senators said Rubio privately told them it was drafted by the Russians — a claim he later denied.

Some provisions contradicted previous US positions, including language that appeared to bar US troops from Poland and would require Ukraine to cede territory, limit its military, and forgo NATO membership.

US Army Secretary briefs Kyiv

In an unconventional step, the White House selected Driscoll — not a diplomat — to present the plan in Kyiv. Driscoll, a Yale Law School classmate of Vance’s, was already scheduled to visit Ukraine for drone-related talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted with “grave doubts,” according to officials briefed on the meeting, but avoided a full rejection. He stressed that Kyiv was willing to engage in diplomatic discussions but not on terms viewed as capitulation.

With the initial proposal rejected, US officials say the peace plan has been substantially rewritten.

For now, Kyiv has not closed the door on talks. But Ukrainian officials say any plan that legitimizes Russia’s territorial claims or undermines their sovereignty will not be accepted.