General Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has had limits imposed on his responsibilities. In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump announced that the Vietnam veteran and former national security adviser in 2017 will no longer deal with both Ukraine and Russia, but will work only “directly with President Volodymyr Zelensky,” because of some complaints from Russian officials.
“I am pleased to inform you that General Keith Kellogg has been appointed Special Envoy to Ukraine. General Kellogg, a Highly Respected Military Expert, will deal directly with President Zelensky, and Ukrainian leadership. He knows them well, and they have a very good working relationship together,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.
According to some sources, Russian officials have complained that Kellogg favors Kyiv “too much.” Since the Kremlin does not like him, he did not attend a series of talks to jumpstart negotiations toward ending the war in Ukraine, even if he was selected by Trump for this purpose. “Together, we will ensure peace through strength,” Trump announced on November 27, shortly after being elected.
In February, his colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, met with a Russian delegation in Riyadh. Kellogg was not invited despite his expertise. It happened again last Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, but this time with the Ukrainians.
Kellogg’s position was clear from the outset in the Russia and Ukraine study released in April by the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute, the MAGA think tank of which the former general was co-chair. According to the report, the Biden administration’s “chaotic” foreign policy had fueled the “inevitable” conflict, and a peace agreement is “in the interests of Kyiv, Washington, and the entire international community.”
However, it is still too early to conclude that Kellogg’s absence in the negotiations will disadvantage Ukraine. At the moment, it is up to Russia to offer a counterproposal, after Putin declared that the 30-day ceasefire agreement agreed upon by the U.S. and Ukraine needs to be revised.
