Munich, Germany – Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, told Europeans on Saturday that their inclusion in talks to end the war in Ukraine was “not going to happen”.
Kellogg dropped the bombshell at the Munich Security Conference after Europeans for a week had scrambled to emphasise no Ukraine peace talks should happen without Kyiv or them.
Asked whether Europeans should have a role in future talks, Kellogg said he was “from the school of realism, and that is not going to happen”.
The comments are the most explicit confirmation yet by a senior US administration official that they intend for Europe to follow the talks from the sidelines, beyond preparing any post-deal security guarantees for Ukraine.
“To my European friends, I would say: get into the debate, not by complaining that you might, yes or no, be at the table, but by coming up with concrete proposals, ideas, ramp up [defence] spending,” Kellogg said.
Kellogg is expected to soon embark on a tour to Ukraine and around all NATO countries to discuss the talks.
Washington had also sent a request to European capitals to provide detailed proposals on the weaponry, peacekeeping troops and security arrangements they could provide to Ukraine as part of any security guarantees, the FT reported earlier on Saturday.
Kellogg said the involvement of too many countries has wrecked the process in previous peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow – including those under the Minsk Format in which France and Germany were at the table.
“What we don’t want to do is get into a large group discussion,” Kellogg said. Instead, he added, Trump’s strategy was to have a deal in “days and weeks” rather than a longer timeframe.
Kellogg also said he sees Washington as an intermediary, not a Ukrainian ally or partner.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, had earlier this week confirmed to reporters he had spoken to Kellogg before the envoy’s anticipated Ukraine trip this month. No exact date has been announced yet.
Kellogg’s upcoming visit is expected to “provide comprehensive information on Russian aggression against our country,” Yermak said over Telegram, adding he had briefed Kellogg on the battlefield situation, the safety of Ukrainian civilians and meetings at the Munich Security Conference.
After Trump’s election in November, Ukrainian officials had been racing to establish relations with the new administration fast, but things have dragged on.
An initial trip that was announced to take place before Trump’s inauguration did not happen.
[OM]
Source: euractiv.com
