Top US army officials in Ukraine in attempt to revive peace talks, Politico reports

(Reuters) -Two top U.S. Army officials have made a rare wartime visit to Kyiv by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, arriving on an unannounced trip for talks with Ukraine's leaders in an attempt to revive stalled peace talks with Russia, Politico reported on Wednesday.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff General Randy George are due to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, senior commanders and lawmakers, Politico said, citing people familiar with the planning.

Driscoll is also expected to meet Russian officials at a later date, the Wall Street Journal reported separately, citing sources.

There was no immediate comment from the White House or the Pentagon.

The Trump administration has been secretly formulating a new plan to end the war in Ukraine in consultation with Russia, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. and Russian officials.

The Wall Street Journal said the White House turned to Driscoll and senior commanders partly on hopes Moscow might respond better to military intermediaries and out of frustration with earlier, largely fruitless efforts.

The visit to Kyiv comes as Russian forces make gradual advances along parts of the front line and step up missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, while Kyiv's Western allies look for new ways to sustain weapons and ammunition supplies.

Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early on Wednesday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, armed forces of the NATO-member country said.

Since Trump took office in January, visits to Kyiv by senior figures from his administration have been rare, with most contacts held in third countries or by video, making Driscoll and George's visit highly unusual.

Trump and Zelenskiy have already met several times this year, including a contentious Oval Office encounter in February, a brief one-on-one at the Vatican in April, talks at a NATO summit in June and an August summit in Washington on possible security guarantees for Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Zelenskiy said that he planned to go to Turkey on Wednesday in an attempt to revive talks with Russia on how to end the war in Ukraine, now nearing the end of its fourth year.

The talks in Kyiv by the U.S. army officers are expected to cover Ukraine’s battlefield needs and broader strategy, including efforts to revive a stalled peace process with Moscow, Politico reported.

Trump has repeatedly promised to bring the war to a rapid close and urged his advisers to test ceasefire ideas with Kyiv and Moscow, stirring unease in parts of Europe over any settlement that might entrench Russia’s hold on occupied territory.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly, Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakil; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; editing by Scott Malone and Raju Gopalakrishnan)