Donald Trump Nominates Special Envoy to End Ukraine War
US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Keith Kellogg, a former national security adviser and retired US military general, to be special envoy to Ukraine and Russia.
Kellogg will likely play a key role in negotiations to stop the ongoing war in Ukraine. If both Russia and Ukraine agree to participate, he may help find a solution.
Trump has promised to end the war on his first day back in office, but hasn’t said how he plans to do it.
Kellogg wants tough talks with Russia and Ukraine to bring an end to the conflict. In a recent interview on Fox News, he said that ending the war would be Trump’s biggest challenge in his second term.
Kellogg has written about his ideas for solving the conflict in a research paper. He suggests that the US should promise to delay Ukraine’s membership in NATO if Russia agrees to negotiate. If Russia refuses, the US could give more aid to Ukraine.
The plan also includes setting up a long-term security system for Ukraine’s defense.
It’s unclear how much of this plan Trump will follow. Speaking to Reuters, Kellogg said that Trump provided some feedback on his proposal, but it wasn’t clear if he agreed with all of it.
Ukraine has maintained a diplomatic stance towards Trump. The country’s former foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said that Trump is taking the right approach by setting out a goal to fix the conflict without providing details.
Trump has spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin since winning the election. He urged Putin not to escalate the war and reminded him of the US military presence in Europe.
Kellogg’s appointment as special envoy will require Senate confirmation.