The newly elected U.S. President, Donald Trump, has nominated retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg to serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Trump announced the nomination on Wednesday via his social media platform, Truth Social, stating that he had chosen Kellogg for this role.
“Keith has an outstanding military and business career, including serving in highly sensitive national security roles during my first administration,” Trump wrote on his social media.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Trump had planned to nominate Richard Grenell for the position. Grenell previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Special Envoy for the U.S. to the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue, and as Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term as president.
Kellogg’s nomination comes after Trump, during his presidential campaign, criticized the U.S. for its multi-billion-dollar support to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A swift end to the war in Ukraine has been one of Trump’s key promises during his presidential campaign, although he has not explained how he would achieve such an outcome.
According to Reuters news agency, Kellogg has argued that the U.S. should tell the Ukrainians that if they do not sit at the negotiating table, U.S. support will be stopped. At the same time, he believes U.S. President Joe Biden should tell Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he does not agree to negotiate, the U.S. will provide the Ukrainians “everything they need to kill [Russian forces] on the battlefield.”
Ukraine’s NATO membership would be removed from the table as an incentive for Russia to cooperate, while reintroducing it could serve as a punishment for Russia if it fails to cooperate.
Kellogg, 80, wrote earlier this year that “ending the war between Russia and Ukraine will require strong ‘America First’ leadership to achieve a peace agreement and immediately stop hostilities between the warring parties.”
He made these statements in a policy paper written for the “America First” Policy Institute, a research organization established after Trump’s departure from office in 2021.
“The United States will continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defense to ensure that Russia does not make further advances or attack again after a ceasefire or peace agreement,” the document stated.
“However, future U.S. military aid will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia.”
Kellogg served as National Security Council Chief of Staff at the White House during Trump’s administration from 2017 to 2021 and was National Security Advisor to former Vice President Mike Pence.
