Trump taps pro-Ukraine retired general as special peace envoy
President-elect Donald Trump nominated retired General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
“Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration. He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Kellogg was part of Trump’s first administration where he served as Chief of Staff and executive secretary to the National Security Council. He also served in the military for more than 35 years.
Kellogg is considered to be Ukraine-sympathetic and visited Kharkiv Oblast in 2023, including the liberated town of Izium. He later prepared a report for the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Ukraine`s urgent needs.
He supports Trump’s peace push, advocating a ceasefire that would be accompanied by supplies of weapons for Ukraine to deter Russia.
“The United States would continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to ensure Russia will make no further advances and will not attack again after a cease-fire or peace agreement. Future American military aid, however, will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia,” he wrote in a policy paper together with Fred Fleitz.
“Ukraine would not be asked to relinquish the goal of regaining all its territory, but it would agree to use diplomacy, not force, with the understanding that this would require a future diplomatic breakthrough which probably will not occur before Putin leaves office,” the two added.
In his latest interview with Fox News, he added that he doesn’t believe that Putin wants to start a nuclear war in Europe and insisted that the West must remind Russia that it has a nuclear arsenal too.