Trump sending Pentagon officials to Ukraine in effort to end war with Russia, reports say

STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. Army’s top two leaders will arrive in Ukraine this week for unannounced high-level talks expected to focus on boosting efforts to negotiate an end to the country’s war with Russia.

President Donald Trump dispatched Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to Ukraine, where discussions on hastening an end to the three-year-old conflict were expected to get underway Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal and Politico reported.

The top Army leaders also were expected to discuss how to move forward with a potential deal on exchanging drone technology with Ukraine, which has become an innovator of such weapons systems during the war, the news organizations reported Tuesday, citing unidentified U.S. officials. 

The meeting in Kyiv comes at a critical time for Ukraine, which has faced an onslaught of Russian drone and aerial bombardment attacks in recent weeks.

Ukraine also has been scrambling to deal with a growing manpower crisis as more military-aged men flee to the West to avoid fighting.

“We have huge problems with soldiers, with human resources,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Politico last week.

Although Trump has called for an end to the war, there has been little indication that Russia is prepared to end the conflict. However, the administration has quietly been negotiating with Moscow, Washington-based news organization Axios reported Tuesday.

A 28-point peace plan is being drafted, Axios said, citing U.S. and Russian officials. The proposal is said to involve security guarantees for Ukraine, but it’s unclear how territorial control of eastern Ukraine would be handled.

The U.S. has begun briefing Ukrainian and European officials about the concept, the report said.

Separately, there are other signs of cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the State Department cleared a potential sale of Patriot air defense system sustainment gear to Ukraine for an estimated $105 million.

Ukraine has requested the equipment, which includes upgraded launchers, to strengthen its ability to defend against Russian attacks.

The U.S. is also poised to bolster gas supplies to Ukraine, which has faced repeated attacks on its energy infrastructure.

The American Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, said Tuesday that a shipment of liquefied natural gas from the U.S. had arrived this week in the country, where it will be processed for onward movement.

“This will mark the first Ukraine-bound shipment of natural gas to come through Lithuania,” the embassy said.