Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, met with top Ukrainian military and government officials as part of his visit to the country that began on Feb. 19.
Kellogg's visit comes amid a tense atmosphere as Trump adopts increasingly hostile rhetoric toward President Volodymyr Zelensky while planning a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On his first day in Kyiv, Kellogg met Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, and intelligence and security chiefs, Zelensky revealed.
During the meeting, Yermak stressed that Kellogg should have "complete and objective information about the events on the front and about the Ukrainians' ability and desire to end the war with a just and lasting peace," the Presidential Office said.
On Feb. 20, Kellogg also met Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha "to discuss ways toward a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace," Ukraine's top diplomat said.
"I affirmed Ukraine's willingness to achieve peace through strength and our vision for the necessary steps. I also reiterated that the security of Ukraine and the transatlantic is indivisible," Sybiha said on social media.
Kellogg is expected to meet Zelensky later on Feb. 20. The Ukrainian president suggested that Trump's envoy could visit the front to inspect the situation there.
"We understand the need for security guarantees. We understand... the importance of the sovereignty of this nation," Kellogg said after arriving in Kyiv.
"Part of my mission is to sit and listen and see what your concerns are," he said, adding he will relay his findings to the White House.
Trump's Ukraine envoy previously met with Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials during the Munich Security Conference to discuss the war and the U.S.-proposed memorandum on Ukraine's rare earth minerals and other resources.
Recent developments indicate that Kellogg is being sidelined in Trump's peace efforts as he was not involved in the talks in Saudi Arabia held on Feb. 18. Some experts attribute this to Kellogg's pro-Ukraine stances and Russia's alleged objections to him.
Kateryna Denisova
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