US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming special envoy on the Ukraine conflict has said he hopes to mediate a resolution within 100 days after Inauguration Day on January 20.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to quickly mediate a successful peace deal, but offered little specifics. According to media reports, his team is considering to propose freezing the conflict along the current front line.
“I know I’m on the clock,” retired US Army lieutenant general Keith Kellogg told Fox News on Wednesday. “I would like to set a goal on a personal level, on a professional level. I would say let’s set it at 100 days and move your way back.”
Kellogg stressed that Trump remains committed to restarting negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to find a settlement to the fighting, which has claimed “enormous” casualties on both sides.
“He’s not trying to give something to Putin or to the Russians. He’s actually trying to save Ukraine and save their sovereignty. And he’s going to make sure that it’s equitable and that it’s fair,” Kellogg said.
He argued that “the biggest mistake President [Joe] Biden made is the fact that he’s never engaged in any conversations with Putin.”
“He hasn’t talked to him in over two years,” Kellogg said, adding that Trump “does talk to adversaries and allies alike.”
Negotiations broke down after Kiev withdrew from the talks in spring 2022. Putin stated that for any settlement to work, Ukraine must abandon its plans to join NATO and renounce its claims on Crimea and four other former Ukrainian territories that have joined Russia.