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US special envoy Kellogg to visit Kyiv as part of European tour, State Department confirms

by Tim Zadorozhnyy February 13, 2025 8:50 AM 2 min read
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, speaks at the conference and says the regime in Iran is weaker and more vulnerable than it has been in decades (Siavosh Hosseini / Getty Images)
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U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, will visit Ukraine as part of a European tour, the U.S. State Department announced on Feb. 12.

Kellogg will travel to Germany, Belgium, and Ukraine from Feb. 13 to 22 to "advance President Trump's goal of securing peace through strength in Ukraine and upholding the national security interests of the United States," the statement said.

While in Ukraine, he is expected to meet with officials and civilians affected by nearly three years of war. Kellogg will also attend the Munich Security Conference.

His visit comes as the U.S. president intensifies efforts to negotiate a swift resolution to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

On Feb. 12, Trump spoke by phone with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that leaders "want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."

Zelensky and Trump agreed to begin working toward ending the war, according to Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office.

Trump said he had instructed a team including State Secretary Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz to lead the negotiations, omitting Kellogg.

Trump further announced that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Zelensky in Munich on Feb. 14 to begin official negotiations.

Zelensky will lead Ukraine's delegation to the Munich Security Conference, where Trump's team is expected to outline its diplomatic approach.

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Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. said on Feb. 12 that “to prevent Putin from dining in Kyiv, we need to mobilize the bipartisan Congressional coalition standing with Ukraine.”

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