US Chargé d'Affaires in Ukraine Julia Davis says the administration of US President Donald Trump has declared from day one its intention to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, and that the current round of talks in Kyiv shows an unprecedented pace of diplomatic activity.

Source: Julia Davis at a briefing with journalists on 20 November; a senior US official in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Quote from Davis: "From day one, President Trump has made it clear that he wants the war between Ukraine and Russia to end. And today we have genuinely moved towards that goal with incredible motivation...

We have witnessed, in my view, an absolutely astonishing pace of diplomatic activity – some of the most ambitious I have seen in my career. The level of engagement from our leaders in Washington, the leadership of Secretary of State Driscoll – truly impressive."

Details: Davis said the sides discussed an "aggressive timetable" for further steps and elements of the peace plan that are critical for Ukraine. She stressed: "We will continue these efforts today, tomorrow – we will not stop, because this is a peace that cannot wait".

A senior US official told Ukrainska Pravda that US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, who arrived in Ukraine, emphasised that "there will be hard decisions for both sides".

Quote from US official: "Both sides will face the reality that ending the war is hard – very hard – and that each side will have to sacrifice something it had hoped for in order to gain what it can realistically secure in negotiations. That will require mutual concessions."

More details: The official said Driscoll is advancing Trump's vision for ending the war.

He added that Trump expects progress in the negotiations as quickly as possible: "We are talking about the shortest possible timeframe. The shortest possible."

The official said that work is underway at maximum intensity "on very difficult questions and decisions that Ukrainian leaders will have to take, and which must be supported by the Ukrainians".

He could not say whether the US delegation plans to travel to Russia after its visit to Ukraine.

According to Ukrainska Pravda's information, such a meeting may take place after Thanksgiving in the US, that is, after 27 November.

Background:

• On 19 November, reports about a new "peace plan" consisting of 28 points, which the team of US President Donald Trump had developed in consultations with the Russians, appeared in a number of US media outlets.
• Publications mentioned that the plan envisions handing the whole of Donbas to Russia. Ukraine would also have to limit its weapons arsenal, halve its army and accept Russian as a second state language.
• Qatar and Türkiye are also reportedly involved in developing the drafting of the new plan.
• On 20 November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially received a draft plan from the United States which, according to the American side, could reinvigorate diplomacy.
• According to Bloomberg, the US "peace plan" proposes lifting sanctions on Russia and halting investigations into war crimes.

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