President-elect Trump on Wednesday announced the appointment of retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who served as Trump's National Security Council chief of staff, to be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
President Trump praised Kellogg for being with him “from the beginning,” noting his distinguished military and business career.
“Together, we will ensure peace and make America and the world safe again!” the president-elect said in a statement.
President Trump has pledged to leverage his relationships with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to quickly end Russia's war in Ukraine. This has raised fears among Kiev supporters that the next president will cede Ukrainian land or seek a deal that would jeopardize the country's future security.
Kellogg is seen as loyal to Trump, which is likely why he won the office. This would send a signal to Russia, Ukraine, and our European allies that the president intends to communicate his vision for Ukraine and Russia directly.
In his book, Kellogg proposes implementing a ceasefire on the front lines while recognizing Ukraine's claims to territory occupied by Russia. He threatened to lift all restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range missiles and called for pressure on President Putin to come to the negotiating table, but at the same time he traveled to Kiev to secure his place at the negotiating table. He also claimed that he had threatened to cut off U.S. military aid to the United States.
Kellogg's choice drew an early lukewarm reaction from some people focused on maintaining strong U.S. support for Ukraine.
One Washington-based security analyst spoke candidly on condition of anonymity.
“He's not the strongest in Ukraine, but ideologically he's not terrible and there's room for improvement. His plans for Ukraine are OK.”
But former Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Ole Shamshur, who only knew Kellogg through the media, said he was pessimistic about Kellogg's appointment.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said, “As I understand it, he fully accepts the logic of Mr. Trump's 'peace plan,'' which includes the cession of Ukrainian territory to Russia and Ukraine's NATO support. He cited Mr. Vance's support for abandoning the affiliation plan.
“After all, he and the others will be primarily the ones carrying out the master's will,” Shamshur added. “So it's very important to hear from President Trump what the plans are. In Kiev, you can hear completely different ideas about what we can expect with the emergence of the big guy. Almost pessimistic.”
“He's better than any of the other options being talked about,” said one European diplomat. “He preached that negotiations should be conducted from a strong footing and that support for Ukraine was needed.”
Kellogg has previously expressed skepticism of Russia and support for arming Ukraine.
“We have to give them more weapons.” [the Ukrainians] Because you can't trust the Russians,” Kellogg said. said in an interview on Voice of America in July.
Other Ukraine supporters argue why supporting Kiev is in the U.S. interest, citing the need to deter Russian aggression and the risk of setting a precedent that China could use to invade Taiwan. It mentions gender.
Kellogg has focused primarily on how an “America first approach” to resolving the conflict could succeed, without specifying why the United States should support Ukraine.
“Under an America-first approach to the Ukraine conflict, once a stalemate and a war of attrition develop, it is in the best interests of Ukraine, the United States, and the world to seek a ceasefire and negotiate a peace agreement with Russia,” he said. It will be of benefit to the In my April 2024 proposal to end the war, I wrote:
Mr. Kellogg called for a ceasefire and negotiated a settlement in which the United States would continue to supply arms to Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to prevent Russia from making any further advances. He also called for a significant delay in Ukraine's plans to join NATO. President Biden has refrained from pressuring the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance. He said the country was on a “road of no return” towards joining the alliance.
“Future American military aid“However, Ukraine will be required to participate in peace negotiations with Russia,” he wrote.
“To persuade President Putin to engage in peace negotiations, President Biden and other NATO leaders will postpone Ukraine's NATO membership for an extended period in exchange for a comprehensive and verifiable peace agreement with security should be proposed.”
Kellogg made a similar suggestion in a December 2023 article in the National Interest.
Kellogg said, “While less satisfying than a complete military victory (which appears increasingly unattainable), this outcome would represent a strategic defeat for Russia and threaten U.S. national security. It will mean strengthening the Western alliance.”
“Some Republicans have argued that the Ukraine conflict is a European problem that has no bearing on the United States. Strategically, as public comments confirm, President Trump is opposed to it. We believe that ending the crisis is a major foreign policy challenge, and we intend to accomplish that from day one.”
This article was first posted at 1:11pm and last updated at 3:34pm EST
