Ukraine accepts peace proposal, with only ‘minor details’ to be worked out, official says, but no news from Russia

A U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday that the Ukrainian government had “agreed to a peace deal” brokered by the Trump administration to end Russia’s nearly four-year assault. The U.S. official and Ukraine’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, said a joint agreement on a proposal had been reached, the details of which remained to be worked out.

Umerov said he was optimistic that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could visit Washington before the end of November to finalize a deal. CBS News was first to report Sunday that American and Ukrainian officials had already discussed a possible visit by Zelensky to the United States this week.

“The Ukrainians accepted the peace deal,” the U.S. official told CBS News. “There are still some minor details to be worked out, but they have agreed to a peace deal.”

The news came while U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was in Abu Dhabi meeting with Russian officials, two U.S. officials and two diplomatic sources who were not authorized to speak publicly told CBS News. A fifth source with knowledge of the negotiations also confirmed Driscoll’s presence in the UAE capital.

There was no immediate reaction from Russia, the invading force, to what was agreed in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, former Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that while Russia “appreciates the position of the United States, which is taking the initiative in resolving the Ukrainian conflict,” Moscow “acts professionally, not disclosing information before the conclusion of formal agreements…Russia expects the United States to inform it of the results of consultations with Ukraine and Europe in the near future.”

A U.S. military official in Abu Dhabi told CBS News that Driscoll spent hours negotiating with Russian representatives on Tuesday, going in and out of meetings all day.

“We remain very optimistic,” the official said. “Secretary Driscoll is optimistic. Hopefully we will receive feedback from the Russians soon. This is moving forward quickly.”

It is not clear who else is part of the US delegation to Abu Dhabi. A U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday that a Ukrainian delegation was also present and was in contact with Driscoll and his team.

Umerov said in a social media post on Tuesday that the country’s negotiators had “reached common agreement on the basic terms” of a deal discussed among U.S., European and Ukrainian officials in Geneva over the weekend.

The apparent progress in Abu Dhabi comes against a backdrop intensified thrust by President Trump to secure a ceasefire in the nearly four-year-old Russian-Ukrainian war.

“We are now counting on the support of our European partners in our next steps. We look forward to organizing a visit of the Ukrainian president to the United States as early as possible in November to finalize the last steps and conclude an agreement with President Trump,” Umerov said in his Tuesday message on X.

A knowledgeable source told CBS News that Driscoll was working in Abu Dhabi on a revised version of the White House’s 28-point proposal, following productive negotiations in Geneva.

Over the weekend, Driscoll, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and diplomats from Ukraine and European allies participated in conferences in Geneva, Switzerland. Driscoll’s meeting with Russian officials also follows a visit to the capital of Ukraine last week.

U.S. and Ukrainian officials had previously discussed a possible visit to the United States this week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CBS News reported on Sunday.

Last week, CBS News obtained a draft of a proposal backed by the Trump administration to end the war. The proposed plan included several provisions that Zelensky has rejected in the past, such as demanding that Ukraine abandon its entire Donetsk region — including parts not occupied by Russia — and ending the country’s efforts to join NATO.

There is also a accompanying document linked to security guarantees, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday the document states that the United States intends to offer “security guarantees” that it says are consistent with Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which commits members to come to the defense of a NATO state under attack.

On Saturday, a group of NATO members and other U.S. allies issued a joint statement calling the proposed peace plan a “basis that will require additional work.”

The White House said in a statement Sunday evening that U.S. and Ukrainian officials had “drafted an updated and refined peace framework” following discussions in Geneva. Rubio describes a session in Geneva as “very significant,” but added that “there’s still work to be done, and that’s what our teams are going to do right now.”

Mr Trump urged Zelensky to reach deal by Thanksgivingalthough Rubio described that deadline as flexible on Sunday.

An American official told CBS News that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to believe he will take Ukraine’s Donetsk region one way or another – either through a negotiated settlement or on the battlefield. The Trump administration’s negotiations in Geneva were based on the assumption that Putin was right.

While the same U.S. official declined to provide a U.S. assessment of whether Ukraine was losing the war in the east, the U.S. official said the trajectory of the fighting points toward Russia’s capture of Donetsk. The official said Russian progress in the eastern frontline town of Pokrovsk, which is a logistical hub for Ukraine, was not a positive sign for kyiv’s defensive prospects. Russian media often refer to Pokrovsk as the “gateway” to Ukraine’s industrial region of Donbass.