“It’s a fair concern,” Kellogg told broadcaster ABC News when asked about a report that Russia seeks a written guarantee barring NATO membership for Ukraine and other former Soviet states.
“Ukraine coming into NATO is not on the table," he said.
Kellogg said in the interview that Russia is equally worried about Georgia and Moldova joining the alliance.
He added that decisions on enlargement rested with Trump.
Talks set for Istanbul
The retired lieutenant general said negotiators will try next week to merge draft ceasefire proposals from Kyiv and Moscow into a single text during talks in Istanbul on Monday.
National security advisers from Germany, France and Britain are expected to attend alongside the United States.
“When we get into Istanbul next week we’ll sit down and talk,” Kellogg said, adding that Trump is “frustrated” by what he called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “unreasonableness” and by continued strikes on Ukrainian cities.
(jh/gs)
Source: Reuters, ABC, PAP