Envoy claims Trump working towards ‘sustainable peace’ in Ukraine
Date
12/26/2024 7:21:23 AM
(MENAFN) President-elect Donald trump views achieving a sustainable peace between Russia and Ukraine as one of his top foreign policy priorities, according to his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired army General Keith Kellogg. In a Fox News interview on Monday, Kellogg emphasized that Trump’s goal is to "stop the killing and bring peace to the region," describing the conflict in Ukraine as the "number one international priority" for the incoming administration. Kellogg explained that Trump seeks a peace agreement that is “fair, sustainable, and secure,” and stressed that he does not want the settlement process to follow the same failed path as the Minsk agreements. The Minsk accords, signed in 2014 and mediated by Germany and France, were designed to grant special status to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are now part of Russia. However, these agreements have been widely criticized for their failure to end the conflict.
Kellogg pointed out that former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, as well as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President François Hollande, admitted that they used the ceasefire to buy time and strengthen Ukraine’s military, ultimately undermining the Minsk process. "It failed miserably," Kellogg said, noting that Trump would not pursue that same strategy. He believes that Trump, with his strong relations with both Western allies and Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the right leader to bring the conflict to a resolution in the near term. While Kellogg acknowledged that the Ukraine conflict is a "European-based problem," he called on European countries to take more responsibility in addressing the crisis, given its proximity to their borders. He noted that the U.S. has already been "incredibly generous" in supporting Ukraine.
Kellogg is reportedly behind a peace plan that would freeze the conflict along the current front lines without recognizing Russia's sovereignty over Ukrainian territories, while also suspending Ukraine's NATO membership aspirations. He is expected to travel across Europe, including stops in Kiev, Rome, and Paris, to advance Trump's long-standing objective of resolving the Ukraine crisis. Kellogg may also visit Moscow after his European tour. While Russian officials have had no direct contact with Trump or his team regarding Ukraine, they have ruled out any proposal to freeze the conflict. Moscow insists that all objectives of its military operation, including Ukraine’s neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification, must be fulfilled. However, President Putin has indicated that he is open to talks with Trump.
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