Overview
- Assigned by President Trump, Driscoll emerged as the lead U.S. point person to push Ukraine back to negotiations with Russia despite having little diplomatic experience.
- Kyiv agreed to key terms that Driscoll and Secretary of State Marco Rubio worked through with Ukrainian officials in Geneva over the weekend.
- Driscoll then met Russian delegates in Abu Dhabi, yet Moscow has not signed off on the proposal.
- The framework, initially described as a 28‑point outline crafted between the U.S. and Russia without Ukrainian participation, was significantly revised with controversial clauses removed to a roughly 19‑point package.
- Driscoll’s elevated role, reinforced by close ties to Vice President JD Vance and Trump who calls him the “drone guy,” has heightened tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and fueled talk he could eventually replace him.