Kellogg the cat: At the negotiation table will be Ukrainians, Russians, and the U.S. – but Europeans will not be present.

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, stated at the Munich Conference that the U.S. will act as mediators in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

It is currently difficult to predict how peace talks will unfold, but the philosophy of the U.S. is to halt the killings and the war, as reported by “RBK-Ukraine”.

“I am here to gather important information. I am a diplomat. Ukrainians and Russians will be at the table – with Americans as mediators,” Kellogg explained at the “Ukrainian Lunch” organized by the Pinchuk Foundation as part of the Munich Security Conference.

He reiterated several times that Ukraine must and will be a participant in the negotiations.

“The U.S. has never suggested that Ukrainians should be excluded from the discussion,” he stated, reminding that the U.S. President has also spoken about Ukraine's involvement in peace talks.

At the same time, he emphasized that Europeans are not seen as mediators by the U.S. in these negotiations, reports “Ukrainska Pravda”.

When asked by the meeting’s host to clarify what this means, Kellogg stated that he is a “realist,” and while he is not fundamentally opposed to the participation of European politicians in negotiations, he does not see the need to involve those who are “part of the problem.”

“Remember Minsk-2 – there were a lot of European leaders, and they failed miserably,” the American general explained his viewpoint.

Kellogg mentioned that he will be responsible for the Ukrainian direction, while Trump's Special Representative for the Middle East, Stiff Witkoff, will handle the Russian aspect. Kellogg explained that this is done for “speed.”

“We are talking about days and weeks, not years,” Kellogg said regarding the peace settlement plan.

“I publicly take 180 days to engage all parties,” Kellogg stated. According to him, the war in Ukraine should end sooner than in a year.

Background. Recall that on the eve of the Munich Conference, Keith Kellogg met with the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, to discuss further U.S. assistance to Ukraine. “Helping Ukraine now is much cheaper than confronting a stronger Russia later,” Yermak wrote following the meeting.