U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said on Feb. 15 that Europe will not be directly involved in negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine, but its interests will be considered.
Kellogg's remarks come as the Trump administration is trying to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he aims to end the war as soon as possible but has not outlined specific steps to do so.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Kellogg mentioned the Minsk II deal of 2015, which aimed to end Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and involved Germany and France alongside Ukraine and Russia.
"There were a lot of people at the table, but it didn't work out," Kellogg said. That's why Europe will not be involved in the negotiations, but its interests will be taken into account, he added.
Kellogg also stressed that Russia's war against Ukraine could end even this year, pledging to "engage all parties" in 180 days to try to achieve this.
Kellogg said that Trump "will not give up important interests," adding that the U.S. will continue to help Ukraine, but "the killing must be stopped."
Moscow and Kyiv engaged in direct negotiations in Belarus and Turkey during the early months of the full-scale invasion, but those talks ultimately failed. No formal direct discussions between the two sides have taken place since then.
Trump has tasked his own delegation, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to lead negotiations.
The Kremlin has repeatedly emphasized that it views the U.S. as its "main counterpart" in efforts to end the war.
Zelensky said that he wants European allies to be involved in peace negotiations. Kyiv insists that no talks about Ukraine and ending Russia's war should be held without Ukraine.
Nataliya Bugayova
(Updated: )
