Publicly, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been highly critical of the six Democratic lawmakers who released a video last week urging military service members to disobey illegal orders, calling t...

"The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement," U.S. ...

Military analyst Vasyl Pekhnio stated this on Espreso TV."A certain phase of hostilities has now begun in Pokrovsk, which can be characterized as a media war. Over the weekend, our fighters, particularly the 7th Air Assault Corps, announced that they had successfully cleared the central part of the city. The operation was conducted with the involvement of aviation and assault units under the overall command of the 7th Air Assault Corps. In other words, the Russians truly had a tough time there," Pekhnio noted.According to the military analyst, as soon as these reports emerged, propaganda sources immediately began to show their version of events—allegedly, that Russians were walking calmly in the central part of Pokrovsk. And indeed, the locations where they filmed their videos were identified as Pokrovsk, but with a catch: when was it filmed—yesterday, or two to three weeks ago?"In response, our fighters from the 425th Skelya assault regiment showed another video of them conducting clearing operations in the city center. This means the media war is ongoing. Incidentally, this could very well indicate that the Russians are having no real success, are not advancing, and are not capturing new positions, because they are genuinely stuck in the city center.""However, this doesn't mean we are already recapturing Pokrovsk or that a counteroffensive is about to begin. It means that our unmanned systems have managed to create a 'kill zone,' which allows for the formation of a line of contact within the city itself. This was a very difficult task, but as of now, our Unmanned Systems Forces are handling it," Pekhnio emphasized.Over the past day, November 24, 183 combat clashes were recorded on the Russian-Ukrainian front. The Defense Forces repelled 61 enemy attacks in the Pokrovsk sector.

ABC News reported the information.U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll conducted confidential discussions with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday. The meetings represent the first direct engagement with Russian representatives following weekend negotiations in Geneva between American and Ukrainian officials.The Abu Dhabi talks focused on a revised peace proposal that has been streamlined from 28 points to 19 points. The updated plan notably removes provisions addressing amnesty for wartime actions and restrictions on Ukraine's future military capabilities—two contentious issues that had complicated earlier discussions.The Geneva meetings were led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Driscoll, who presented the initial framework to Ukrainian representatives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged in a Monday evening address that additional work remained on the revised proposal.Russian officials had previously stated they received no information about the Geneva discussions or subsequent modifications to the peace plan. Driscoll's trip to Abu Dhabi appears designed to address that gap, briefing the Russian delegation on changes made following consultations with Ukraine.The Army Secretary's prominent role in these sensitive diplomatic efforts emerged from discussions between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance two weeks ago. While unconventional for a military service secretary to lead such negotiations, administration officials believe a military representative may resonate more effectively with both Moscow and Kyiv.Prior to entering Ukraine last week, Driscoll coordinated with Rubio and Witkoff and stopped in Germany for additional briefings. He was accompanied by senior Army leadership, including Gen. Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, though these military officers did not participate in the subsequent diplomatic sessions.The secret Abu Dhabi meetings signal the administration's determination to maintain momentum in peace efforts, despite the complex challenges that have stalled previous attempts to resolve the conflict.The U.S. peace plan for ending Russia's war against Ukraine was shortened by 9 points as a result of negotiations in Geneva.