Trump’s envoy arrives in Kyiv as US policy shifts towards Russia
Keith Kellogg’s visit comes a day after US President Donald Trump suggested Kyiv was to blame for the war.
The US’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and military commanders, as the US shifted its policy away from years of efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Keith Kellogg’s visit comes a day after US President Donald Trump suggested Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week, and talks between top American and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia sidelined Ukraine and its European supporters.
Mr Trump’s comments are likely to anger Ukrainian officials, who have urged the world to help them fight Russia’s full-scale invasion which began on February 24 2022.
The battlefield has also brought grim news for Ukraine in recent months.
A relentless onslaught in eastern areas by Russia’s bigger army is grinding down Ukrainian forces, which are slowly but steadily being pushed backwards at some points on the 600-mile (1,000km) front line.
Mr Trump told reporters at his Florida residence on Tuesday that Ukraine “should have never started” the war and “could have made a deal” to prevent it.
Mr Kellogg said his visit is “a chance to have some good, substantial talks”.
Mr Zelensky cancelled his planned Wednesday trip to Saudi Arabia in what some analysts saw as an attempt to deny legitimacy to the US-Russia talks about the future of his country.
American officials have signalled that Ukraine’s hopes of joining Nato in order to ward off Russian aggression after reaching a possible peace agreement will not happen.
Mr Zelensky has said any settlement will require US security commitments to keep Russia at bay.
“We understand the need for security guarantees,” Mr Kellogg said in comments carried by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Novyny on his arrival at Kyiv railway station.
“It’s very clear to us the importance of the sovereignty of this nation and the independence of this nation as well … Part of my mission is to sit and listen,” the retired three-star general said.
Mr Kellogg said he will convey what he learns on his visit to Mr Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “and ensure that we get this one right”.
