Trump's envoy in Ukraine will struggle to reach any peace deal – WSJ
www.pravda.com.ua
Wed, 22 Jan 2025 11:09:27 +0200
Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trumps special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, who was tasked by Trump with ending the war in 100 days, faces significant challenges in negotiating any peace agreement.
This is due to his lack of diplomatic experience, limited influence on policy, and his alignment with Trumps views, The Wall Street Journal believes.
Source WSJ Quote from the WSJ President Trump has handed retired Lt.
General Keith Kellogg the job of ending the Ukraine war in a hundred days.
Almost no one thinks he can do it especially the Russians.
Rather, they say Kelloggs role as a special envoy to Ukraine, which comes amid a flurry of such appointments, is an opening gambit in peace talks that Trump is determined to control himself.
But dealmaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be far more difficult than Trump promised on the campaign trail, when he said he would end the conflict before he took office.
Details The publication highlights that, despite Trumps bold statements, the war is still ongoing, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin made it clear on the new US presidents inauguration day that he is in no rush to resolve it.
WSJ also points out that while Special Representative Kellogg will undoubtedly advise Trump on negotiations, it is unclear whether Trump will seek much counsel.
John Bolton, who served as national security advisor to Trump in 2018 and 2019, recalled hearing Trump say he liked Kellogg because he never offers his opinion unless I ask for it.
The publication also notes that Kellogg became a staunch Trump supporter in 2015 when he worked as an unpaid advisor.
Colleagues of Kellogg mentioned that during his four years at the White House, he was a frequent presence in the Oval Office, often listening to conversations but rarely engaging in them.
Former colleagues of Kellogg argue that his military experience could be valuable to the president as he considers the implications of providing or withholding aid to Ukraine.
However, they also point out that Kellogg has never worked as a diplomat, and his time at the White House suggests he wont play a role in any substantial negotiations with Russia.
Quote Trump enjoys his company and sees him as a fiercely loyal guy, but he has never exerted any kind of meaningful policy influence.
Hes Kellogg ed.
certainly not going to come up with anything that deviates from where Trumps head is, said one former National Security Council staffer who worked with him in the Trump administration.
WSJ also reports that Russia has shown no interest in working with Kellogg. Bolton worries that Trump may pressure Kyiv into making harmful concessions to Moscow in future negotiations, stating, I think Putin knows how to play Trump, and that Kellogg is unlikely to act as a counterbalance to Putins influence.
Quote Hell Kellogg simply do what Trump tells him to do.
He might protest briefly, but Trump didnt pick Kellogg for his independent judgment, Bolton said.
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