President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate retired Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the President and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg served in highly sensitive national security roles in Trump’s first administration and has a military background of over 35 years. He co-authored a policy paper in April that outlined his plan to end the war in Ukraine, which included potentially conditioning U.S. military aid to Kyiv on their participation in peace talks with Russia.
In the paper, Kellogg and co-author Fred Fleitz proposed a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement of the conflict, acknowledging that a peace agreement is unlikely as long as Vladimir Putin remains in power. Trump has expressed his belief that he can stop the war, emphasizing the need for European nations to contribute more aid. During his campaign, Trump promised to bring an end to the war but did not provide specific details on how he would accomplish this.
The relationship between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been complicated, with a July 2019 phone call leading to Trump’s first impeachment. Trump was accused of withholding aid to Ukraine to pressure Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden and his son, allegations he denied. Vice president-elect JD Vance and Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have both criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine. Vance has expressed support for holding peace talks to end the conflict, while Kennedy has questioned the need for U.S. aid to Ukraine, suggesting that European nations should provide assistance instead.
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