Trump picks Keith Kellogg to serve as special envoy to Ukraine and Russia

Ending the Ukraine war was a key focus of Trump’s campaign, though he has remained vague about his approach. On social media, Trump praised Kellogg’s qualifications, stating: *“Keith has led a distinguished military and business career, including serving in highly sensitive national security roles in my first administration.”*

Kellogg’s strategy for ending the war, as reported by Reuters in June, involves freezing the current battle lines and compelling both Kyiv and Moscow to negotiate. The plan includes making further U.S. military aid to Ukraine conditional on Kyiv’s willingness to enter peace talks, while warning Moscow of increased U.S. support should it refuse to engage. NATO membership for Ukraine would also be removed from consideration in the near term.

Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence, was also a contender for the envoy role. Grenell had previously suggested the creation of “autonomous zones” as a potential solution during a Bloomberg roundtable in July.

The proposal, which Kellogg developed with Fred Fleitz, another former National Security Council official, would likely be contentious. It effectively concedes parts of eastern Ukraine to Russian control for a significant period and is unlikely to garner support from Kyiv.

Additionally, some Republicans in the House of Representatives have expressed scepticism about continuing aid to Ukraine, which could pose challenges to implementing the plan.

In a related statement, a US official said, “Ammunition and vehicle shortages are not the most critical issue facing Ukraine. They now have healthy stockpiles of the vital tools, munitions, and weapons needed to succeed on the battlefield. Without a pipeline of new troops, the existing units, who are fighting heroically on the front lines, cannot rotate out to rest, refit, train, and re-equip.”

(With Inputs from Reuters)