(NEW YORK) -- Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and the Army’s top general have been sent to Ukraine by the Trump administration to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to restart discussions about potential peace talks with Russia, according to a U.S. official.
Driscoll is set to meet with Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s prime minister and other top Ukrainian military officials to talk through a potential peace process and to discuss the United States’ position on the possibility of peace talks.
"Secretary Driscoll and team arrived this morning in Kyiv on behalf of the administration on a fact finding mission to meet with Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war," Col. Dave Butler said in a statement on Wednesday confirming his trip.
There is the possibility that in the future Driscoll may meet with Russian officials, a U.S. official told ABC News prior to the team's landing in Kyiv, adding that it is unclear if Driscoll was bringing a new proposal to restart the talks.
There are no plans for Russian officials to meet with Driscoll, said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.
"No, as far as I know, there are no plans in this regard," Peskov said on Wednesday in response to a question from journalists about Driscoll's arrival in Kyiv and potential meetings.
Choosing Driscoll to attempt to restart the peace process emerged from a discussion last week between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Typically, a secretary for one of the military services would not be involved in such an important diplomatic overture, but it is possible that sending a military may be seen favorably by Russia, the official speculated.
Driscoll’s mission to Ukraine was first reported by the The Wall Street Journal.
Accompanying Driscoll are Gen. Randy George, the Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Chris Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer, and Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard who heads the U.S. military assistance program for Ukraine.
Ahead of his trip to Ukraine Driscoll had discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, who has been the administration's envoy who has worked on peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Stopping in Germany, Driscoll and his delegation participated in additional updates prior to their trip into Ukraine.
Driscoll and George have often pointed to Ukraine’s successful development and use of battlefield drones as a model for how the Army should transform its acquisitions process and quickly produce weapons for a changing battlefield. In addition to their meetings to restart the peace talks the Army leaders will also meet with military and Ukrainian business officials about their drone and weapons development programs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the senior military leaders trip to Ukraine since such a visit required his approval.