Keith Kellogg, who served as the US Special Envoy for Ukraine under former President Donald Trump, faces a daunting challenge ahead: finding a way through the complex politics of the region to help end the ongoing war in Ukraine. But sources with knowledge of the situation, including former colleagues, say Kellogg’s role may be pure decoration with Trump much in control if he decides to negotiate peace.
And Kellogg, who has no foreign diplomatic experience and has been a Trump loyalist, has never shaped policy in a significant way. It is his military experience — not his diplomatic skill — that is seen as vital in Trump’s decision-making process, especially in analyzing the possible ramifications of either continuing or ceasing US assistance to Ukraine.
Trump reportedly had given Kellogg a 100-day deadline to help solve the issue, but the sources say that it is unlikely that Kellogg will have a significant role in negotiations. Instead, Trump himself is likely to direct any negotiations. It is unclear how the war would be resolved by the former president, keeping the door open for major diplomatic outreach both to Russia and Ukraine.
On the flip side, Russia has proposed two conditions that they expect will make the US pressure Kyiv into peace talks, making the situation more complex to strike a deal. It is evident the dilemma Kellogg faces as to how he could broker any peace agreement, with limited leverage and palpable risk. The process involves the hands of Trump, and that leaves the future of Ukraine’s conflict, and the world, teetering.
