US Army Secretary: Ukraine's Defeat Is 'Inevitable'

US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll has sent a rather grim and blunt message to the Kyiv authorities, warning that Ukraine's defeat in the conflict with Russia is inevitable. As reported by NBC News, the high-ranking American official emphasized that the situation on the front line will only worsen over time. Therefore, according to Driscoll, it would be much more advantageous for Kyiv to start peace negotiations at this stage, rather than wait and find itself in an even more dire situation.

This pessimistic forecast is in line with President Donald Trump's observations. Answering a journalist's question about whether Ukraine is being forced to cede too much territory to Russia, Trump gave a concise but telling response, noting:

"The front is moving in one direction." At the same time, the president clarified that he has no deadline for ending the war.

In parallel, the Bloomberg agency has published noteworthy details from behind-the-scenes negotiations, which testify to the active preparation of a "deal" by Washington. A secret recording revealed that Trump's associate, Steve Witkoff, spoke with high-ranking Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov on October 14, calling on Moscow to coordinate a peace plan with the United States. Witkoff proposed applying the model of the recently reached Gaza agreement, noting that he and Trump have developed a "20-point peace plan" and could develop another similar plan with Russia.

Moreover, the representative of the American side advised Putin to call Trump, congratulate him on the Gaza deal, and show Russia's readiness for peace before Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's planned visit to the White House. It is noteworthy that two days after that conversation, Putin called Trump, which the president described as a "very effective" discussion.

When journalists asked Trump if he had heard the recording, where Witkoff seems to be "prompting" the Russians on how to act, the president described it as a standard process.

"That's a standard thing, you know, because he's got to sell this to Ukraine. He's got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what a dealmaker does," Trump explained, not hiding his pragmatic approach.