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Ukraine to host Trump's envoy Kellogg in February, top official says

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Ukraine to host Trump's envoy Kellogg in February, top official says
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak attends a joint briefing with co-head of the Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanctions, Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Michael McFaul in Kyiv on Sept. 8, 2023. (Kaniuka Ruslan / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Ukraine is preparing to host U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, in February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said on Feb. 7.

According to sources in Ukraine's President's Office cited by RBC-Ukraine, Kellogg will visit Ukraine on Feb. 20 after the Munich Security Conference.

"It is very important for President Volodymyr Zelensky and our team that the new U.S. administration receives full, realistic information about the situation on the battlefield as soon as possible," Yermak said.

Yermak emphasized that Kyiv wants Washington to be fully informed about Ukraine's mobilization efforts, as well as the supply of weapons and equipment.

"Communication is important for developing a common position with partners because it is impossible to formulate any plans to achieve peace without Ukraine," he added.

‘Healthy’ democracies can hold elections in wartime, Kellogg says
“You’re gonna reach a point where they’re gonna have to have elections ... That doesn’t mean Zelensky should leave,” Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg said.
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Yermak has already spoken with U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and further contacts with other Trump administration officials are expected.

He reiterated that Ukraine must approach negotiations from a position of strength and secure guarantees to prevent another Russian invasion.

Ukrainian officials are finalizing details for the first visit of a U.S. delegation to Ukraine since Trump's return to office, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a Feb. 4 press briefing in Kyiv.

Kellogg was initially expected to visit before Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, but the trip was postponed for legal reasons, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said in January.

Talking to Fox News on Feb. 1, Kellogg claimed that Trump has a "reliable plan" to end the war that entails "pressuring not only Moscow but also Kyiv" while offering positive initiatives for both.

Kellogg has co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO's accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia.

Trump’s pick for Ukraine envoy backs ‘peace through strength,’ security guarantees
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Nov. 27 decision to choose Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia is not ideal for Kyiv but is an acceptable and reasonable choice for Ukraine, analysts say. Kellogg has co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine,
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Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

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