U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on November 27 tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired military lieutenant normal who has lengthy served as a prime adviser to Trump on protection points, as his nominee to be particular envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
“Keith has led a distinguished Navy and Enterprise profession, together with serving in extremely delicate Nationwide Safety roles in my first Administration,” Trump mentioned on social media.
Kellogg “was with me proper from the start,” Trump mentioned on Reality Social. “Collectively, we are going to safe PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!”
Kellogg’s nomination comes after Trump’s criticism through the 2024 presidential marketing campaign of the billions of {dollars} that the USA has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Trump additionally mentioned he may finish the struggle inside 24 hours of retaking the White Home, an announcement that has been interpreted as that means that Ukraine must give up territory that Russia now occupies.
Kellogg has already put forth a plan for ending the struggle that entails freezing the battle strains the place they’re and forcing Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating desk, Reuters reported in June.
In response to Reuters, Kellogg has advocated telling the Ukrainians that if they do not come to the negotiating desk, U.S. assist would dry up, whereas telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he does not come to the desk, the USA would give the Ukrainians “all the things they should kill you within the discipline.”
NATO membership for Ukraine can be off the desk as a part of the motivation for Russia to return alongside, whereas placing it again on can be punishment for holding again.
Kellogg, 80, earlier this yr wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine struggle to a detailed would require sturdy America First management to ship a peace deal and instantly finish the hostilities between the 2 fighters.”
He made the statements in a analysis paper written for the America First Coverage Institute, a suppose tank fashioned after Trump left workplace in 2021.
“America would proceed to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to make sure Russia will make no additional advances and won’t assault once more after a cease-fire or peace settlement,” the doc mentioned.
“Future American navy support, nevertheless, would require Ukraine to take part in peace talks with Russia.”
Kellogg served in a number of positions throughout Trump’s first time period, together with as chief of employees on Trump’s nationwide safety council and national-security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Mikhail Alexseev, a professor of political science at San Diego State College whose analysis focuses on Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, advised RFE/RL that the appointment alerts “the intent to implement some type of cease-fire and battle settlement which Trump mentioned he would attempt to obtain inside 24 hours.”
Alexseev mentioned Kellogg appears to be a straight shooter who would “detect in a short time whether or not a peace proposal can be unrealistic” and would be capable of see by way of “Putin’s repeated document of breaking agreements.”
Alexseev does not consider the proposal to get the events to barter goes to work however mentioned Kellogg “can be among the many first to see why and the way it wouldn’t work.”
Mark Cancian, a navy analyst on the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Relations, advised RFE/RL that negotiations might be “troublesome,” as a result of the “two sides are to this point aside. Russia thinks its profitable. Ukraine desires all its territory again, together with Crimea, reparations, struggle crimes. [The Trump team] has indicated that they will use U.S. support as a software towards each side. Possibly that can work.”
Cancian provides that he additionally expects to see “private diplomacy.” He expects that Trump “will meet personally with each Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskiy. That’s his fashion. I imply, he is a New York actual property developer, and to get one thing finished, you threaten, you bluster, however then ultimately, you sit down nose to nose, and also you make a deal, as a result of should you do not make a deal, you do not make any cash.”
Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky advised a UN Safety Council assembly that any determination by Trump’s incoming administration to chop assist for Ukraine can be a “loss of life sentence” for the Ukrainian Military.
“Even when we’re to put to at least one aspect the prediction that Donald Trump will reduce help to Ukraine, which for the Ukrainian Military would primarily be a loss of life sentence, it’s changing into clearer that he and his staff will, in any case, conduct an audit of the help supplied to Kyiv,” Polyansky mentioned.
Polyansky mentioned Russia had repeatedly provided to barter, however Ukraine and its Western backers have favored escalation. Ukraine has persistently rejected Russian provides to barter as a result of Moscow’s circumstances, together with accepting Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory, have been unacceptable to Kyiv.
The Russian diplomat additionally accused the Biden administration of making an attempt by way of its elevated assist to Ukraine to create a “mess, each in Russia and with the brand new staff within the White Home.”
He warned the choice by the Biden administration and its European allies to authorize the Ukrainian navy to make use of long-range missiles towards targets inside Russia had “positioned the world on the point of a world nuclear battle” and mentioned Russia would reply decisively.
“I might be frank, we consider that it’s our proper to make use of our weapons towards the navy services of these international locations who enable the usage of weapons towards our services.”
Talking earlier on the identical Safety Council session, UN Assistant Secretary-Basic Miroslav Jenca highlighted latest Russian long-range missile strikes on Ukraine and referred to as the usage of ballistic missiles and associated threats towards Ukraine “a really harmful, escalatory growth.”
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wooden advised the session Washington would “proceed to surge safety help to Ukraine to strengthen its capabilities, together with air protection, and put Ukraine in the very best place on the battlefield.”