Trump's envoy Kellogg to visit Ukraine on July 14 amid military aid confusion
U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will arrive in Kyiv on July 14 for a week-long visit, he told a Novyny Live journalist at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome.
The U.S. envoy did not disclose further details about his upcoming trip. Kellogg previously visited Kyiv in February, a month after the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The announcement comes amid speculation that Trump plans to use presidential authority to greenlight a new military aid package for Ukraine. This would mark the first time he has taken this step since taking office, as the Trump administration so far only permitted the continued flow of arms approved by former President Joe Biden.
Only a week earlier, Kyiv and its European partners were alarmed by an unexpected decision by the Pentagon to pause some Ukraine-bound weapons shipments, including Patriot air defense missiles and precision munitions, pending a stockpile review.
The halt came at a critical moment as Russia has intensified aerial strikes across Ukraine, launching a record 741 drones and missiles on July 9.
Trump said he was unaware of who initiated the pause and has since ordered to resume at least some of the shipments, pledging to provide Ukraine with additional defensive weapons.
The U.S. president also teased a "major statement" on Russia on July 14 and presented plans to supply arms to Ukraine with NATO funding.
Trump has long been reluctant to approve new defense assistance for Ukraine, aiming instead to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow. Despite two rounds of Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in May and June, no breakthrough toward a peace settlement was reached.
Kellogg previously met with President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the Recovery Conference on July 9 for what the Ukrainian president described as "substantive" talks focused on weapons supplies and sanctions.
Zelensky said both he and Kellogg support efforts by U.S. senators to pass legislation imposing harsher sanctions on Russia and 500% tariffs on imports from countries that purchase Russian oil.
Kellogg also took part in a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing the following day, the first time a U.S. official attended the European-led effort.
The coalition, spearheaded by France and the U.K., was launched earlier this year to provide security guarantees to Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression, including possibly deploying peacekeeping troops on the ground.