US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Randy George are the highest-ranking Pentagon officials to make an unannounced visit to Ukraine this week, Politico reports.
The purpose of the visit is to draw the Ukrainian leadership’s attention to the stalled peace process with Russia.
The US and Ukraine are also working on a major agreement to share drone and autonomous weapons technology, and the trip is partly aimed at supporting these efforts, the newspaper reports.
Ukraine has become a leader in the development and refinement of long- and short-range combat drones, which have transformed the battlefield and are striking targets deep within Russian territory. Two people familiar with the plan, who requested anonymity due to discussing sensitive national security issues, described the trip. At first glance, sending Driscoll to Kyiv on a sensitive peacekeeping mission might seem unusual. However, according to media reports, the Army veteran and friend of Vice President J.D. Vance from Yale Law School has become a key figure in the Pentagon and may now assume a more significant role.