Keith Kellogg, nominated by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as Ukraine peace envoy, will visit Ukraine before Trump's inauguration in January, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to journalists in Brussels overnight on Dec. 19, according to a Kyiv Independent reporter.
A day earlier, Reuters reported that Kellogg is planning to visit Kyiv and several European capitals before Trump takes office on Jan. 20 as part of the new administration’s effort to address Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Two unnamed sources told Reuters that Kellogg does not intend to travel to Moscow during this trip.
"(The visit to Ukraine) will take place in early January. We are waiting for Mr. Kellogg, and then we will talk about what he had meant," Zelensky said.
The president referred to Kellogg's latest remarks about potential Ukraine-Russia peace talks.
"I think both sides are ready," the incoming envoy told Fox News on Dec. 18.
Trump has pledged to quickly bring an end to the war but has not provided details on how he plans to do it. At his first news conference since winning the election, Trump voiced his intention to make "a little progress" toward peace.
Zelensky recently said that the country must do everything possible to end the war through diplomatic means in 2025, adding that a war would "end faster" under a Trump administration.