Kellogg, a seasoned military leader and close advisor to Trump, authored a proposal earlier this year advocating for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and urging both sides to engage in peace negotiations. The plan, referred to by media outlets as a "peace plan," suggests applying pressure on both nations to commence talks, with future U.S. support contingent on their willingness to negotiate.
“Keith has led a distinguished military and business career, including serving in highly sensitive national security roles in my first administration. He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"Resetting the battlefield"
In his previous roles during Trump's first term, Kellogg served as the National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence and as the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council. Earlier this year, in a publication on the America First Policy Institute's website, he argued that the ongoing conflict is unsustainable and called for a "reset" of the battlefield through a ceasefire.
"Something needs to be done because the current situation is untenable," Kellogg, 80, told the Polish Press Agency in July. "Russia has 425,000 soldiers in Ukraine and massive resources, much larger than Ukraine's. So someone had to say that something needs to change. What we need to do is reset the battlefield, and we will do that through a ceasefire."
He emphasized that a ceasefire does not necessarily mean Ukraine must permanently cede territory. "During the debate, Trump was asked whether he would agree to Putin's demands for territorial concessions. He said 'No' twice. I think that was a sign that he thinks similarly to us," Kellogg noted.
When questioned on how Trump would persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire, Kellogg stated that Trump would threaten to supply Ukraine with a substantial amount of weaponry.
"We have in our stockpiles, including in Germany, plenty of equipment we can provide. Ukraine received 31 Abrams tanks, while we have hundreds of them. We have hundreds of M113 armored personnel carriers, A-10 aircraft—all of which we could supply to Ukraine," Kellogg said.
He criticized President Joe Biden's administration for what he described as slow and limited military support to Ukraine. "The fact that Ukraine is now in the situation it is in is also a result of President Biden slowing down arms deliveries, not giving Ukraine everything he could," Kellogg asserted.
Diplomatic engagements
Ending the war in Ukraine swiftly has been one of Trump's key election promises, with claims that he could achieve this even before formally taking office. While Kellogg acknowledged that it might take longer, he supported the initiative to bring the conflict to an end.
Throughout the election campaign, Kellogg met with several Polish officials, including Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and deputy ministers of foreign affairs and defense. After their meeting in May, Sikorski told reporters that "Poland has a friend in him."
"He is a man who understands the situation in our region, who understands what is at stake in this war, and understands that Poland is doing more than other allies," Sikorski said.
Kellogg is considered one of Trump's closest foreign policy advisors and was a leading candidate for top positions in the new administration. Other figures mentioned for the envoy role included former Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker, former Ambassador to Berlin Richard Grenell, and Moscow-born lawyer and Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn.
(jh)
Source: PAP