---
title: "Driskoll at Kyiv forum: a turning point in the war and the technological edge as Ukraine's chance"
description: "Former U.S. Army Minister Dan Driskoll, at a forum in Kyiv, spoke of a turning point in the war and named the technological edge, including the Delta system, the key to Ukraine's chance to overcome Russia."
date: 2026-09-13T00:46:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/driskoll-turning-point-technological-edge-ukraine
tags: [dan-driscoll, ukraine-russia-war, yalta-european-forum, military-technology, drones]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Driskoll at Kyiv forum: a turning point in the war and the technological edge as Ukraine's chance

![Driscoll speaking at a Kyiv forum on the turning point in the war and Ukraine's technological edge](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/13/driskoll-perelomny-moment-tekhnologicheskoe-preimushchestvo-ukrainy/driskoll-perelomny-moment-tekhnologicheskoe-preimushchestvo-ukrainy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Driskoll gave his first public speech since resigning from the Trump administration — at the Yalta European Strategy forum in Kyiv.
- He spoke of a turning point in the war and of the technological edge (including the Delta system) giving Ukraine a chance to outpace Russia.
- Eric Schmidt talked about rapid supplies of interceptor drones through his company Perennial Autonomy.
- In August, the specialized unit for analyzing Ukraine's military experience was disbanded; Driskoll did not comment on the personnel decisions.
- There is a discrepancy in Driskoll's public assessments: an optimistic technological thesis in Kyiv versus pessimistic statements from November 2025.

Former U.S. Army Minister Dan Driskoll gave his first public interview and speech since stepping down from the Trump administration. It took place in Kyiv, at the annual Yalta European Strategy conference of the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation, dedicated to Ukraine's place in the Western security architecture. Taking the stage in a tie with a Ukrainian ornament, Driskoll stated that the conduct of the war is passing through a turning point: in his words, even the most powerful armies in the world cannot keep up with the pace and scale of innovation that the modern battlefield dictates. The conversation was moderated by CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria, and beside Driskoll on stage was Eric Schmidt — the former head of Google, now the head of the American defense company Perennial Autonomy, which operates in Ukraine.

### Turning point and the pace of innovation

The central message of Driskoll's speech was that the war is entering a phase in which traditional superiority in numbers and armaments is giving way to the speed of technological change. In his assessment, no army in the world can keep up with the pace set by the actual battlefield, and it is precisely in this race for innovation, he believes, that the outcome of the conflict may be decided. Driskoll emphasized that with the growth of computing power and the development of artificial intelligence, Ukraine has a chance to outpace Russia technologically and organizationally.

### The Delta system as a model of combat superiority

Separately, Driskoll and Schmidt highlighted the Ukrainian Delta system — a program that combines data from radars, sensors, and directly from service members, forming a complete picture of combat operations. In Driskoll's assessment, in terms of its capabilities this system surpasses everything the U.S. Army currently operates. This point became, in effect, the main argument in favor of the idea that a technological, not merely quantitative, advantage could become the decisive factor for Ukraine.

### Drones and the responsiveness of the U.S. defense sector

When the moderator drew attention to the gap between the number of drones the U.S. plans to procure this year and the number of aircraft Ukraine is capable of producing, a remark came from the audience from former CIA Director David Petraeus: in his assessment, Ukrainian production capacity may turn out to be even higher than the forecasts stated. Schmidt, for his part, said that when a shortage of countermeasures against Iranian drones was discovered in the U.S., the solution was found not among the major defense contractors but through his company — it rapidly ramped up supplies of interceptor drones and reconnaissance-strike aircraft, both types of which are already well known from their use in Ukraine. At the same time, according to Schmidt, the decision to cooperate was made literally over a single phone call, although the question of whether such a need could have been planned in advance remains open.

### Washington's distancing from the Ukrainian experience

In recent months, it appears, Washington has been moving away from the work on analyzing Ukraine's military experience: the specialized unit that dealt specifically with this was disbanded in August, and several of its key supporters among the military leadership were dismissed or forced into early retirement this year. Driskoll did not comment on these personnel decisions. He defended the overall course of support for Ukraine, acknowledging that it turned out to be more modest than Kyiv had expected, and explained his departure by saying that, in his belief, he could do more good acting outside the structures of power rather than within them. In his words, relations between the countries were held together by a sincere desire to see Ukraine succeed, even if the result did not always meet expectations.

### Contradictory data

Here it is important to honestly note a discrepancy in Driskoll's public assessments. At the Kyiv Yalta European Strategy forum he emphasized Ukraine's technological chance and the turning-point nature of the war. However, in a number of November 2025 publications (link to the NYT piece) his public tone sounded noticeably more pessimistic: at that time he warned Kyiv about the limited capacity of support from the U.S. and NATO and, according to one version, stated that Ukraine's defeat was becoming inevitable and the war needed to be ended. In other words, depending on the date and context, his statements range from "Ukraine's technological chance" to "defeat is inevitable." Moreover, most of the details of the Kyiv speech specifically (the Delta system, Schmidt's participation, Petraeus's remark, the disbanding of the unit in August) rest on a single primary source, which calls for caution when citing figures and dates.

For context: the head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia, suggested that Russia could return to the negotiating table in early October, after the Russian State Duma elections. According to a RBC-Ukraine source, the result of Witkoff's and Kushner's work could be an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia in the winter — the American side argues this on the grounds that in previous winters Russia never achieved its goal.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Former U.S. Army Minister names the key to Ukraine's victory over Russia](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/eksministr-armiyi-ssha-nazvav-klyuch-peremogi-1789259275.html) - Совпадает с основным текстом: выступление Дрисколла на форуме в Киеве, переломный момент, технологическое преимущество.
- [NYT: Driskoll warned Kyiv about the limited capacity of NATO support](https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/news/2025/11/26/1158386-driskoll-predupredil-kiev) - Подтверждает тему ограниченной поддержки, но относится к событию ноября 2025, а не к киевскому форуму.
- [Driskoll warned Kyiv: the U.S. will not be able to improve the situation on the battlefield — media](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/politics/_driskoll-predupredil-kiev-ssa-ne-smogut-uluchshit-polozhenie-na-pole-boya-smi/1236823) - Параллельная версия пессимистичной оценки (ноябрь 2025), частично пересекается с признанием Дрисколлом скромности поддержки.
- [Driskoll: 'Ukraine's defeat is inevitable, the war must end'](https://www.newsru.co.il/world/27nov2025/dan_202.html) - Противоречит оптимистичному технологическому тезису киевского выступления; дата ноябрь 2025. Внесено в раздел противоречий.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who is Dan Driskoll and why is his speech significant?
**A:** According to the text — a former U.S. Army Minister who gave his first public speech after resigning from the Trump administration. The significance is that he publicly marked a turning point in the war and Ukraine's technological chance.

### Q: What is the Delta system?
**A:** A Ukrainian program that combines radar, sensor, and service-member data into a complete picture of combat operations; in Driskoll's assessment, it surpasses in capability what the U.S. Army operates.

### Q: Are there contradictions in Driskoll's statements?
**A:** Yes. In Kyiv he emphasized Ukraine's technological chance, whereas in November 2025 publications his tone was more pessimistic (limited support, the thesis of inevitable defeat). This is reflected in a separate section of the article.

### Q: What happened to the unit analyzing the Ukrainian experience?
**A:** According to the main text, it was disbanded in August, and several of its supporters among the military leadership were dismissed or forced into retirement; Driskoll did not comment on these decisions.