US President Donald Trump has tasked retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg with ending the war in Ukraine in 100 days, but few believe he will succeed.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Trump wanted to end the conflict before he took office, but that didnʼt happen. Vladimir Putin has made it clear that heʼs in no hurry to resolve the situation, and Russia has shown no signs of interest in cooperating with Kellogg, the publication writes.
Trumpʼs special envoy for Ukraine is supposed to advise him on the negotiations, but itʼs unclear whether the president will need the advice. The WSJ notes that Kellogg appears to have been appointed despite a lack of competence, like some other envoys.
His military experience could be important to Trump as he weighs his stance on aid to Ukraine. But Kellogg has never worked as a diplomat, so he wonʼt be involved in any real negotiations with Russia, his former colleagues say.
"Trump enjoys his company and sees him as an extremely dedicated guy, but he [Kellogg] has never had a significant impact on policy. Heʼs not going to come up with anything that deviates from Trumpʼs thinking," says a former National Security Council official who worked in the Trump administration.
What are Trumpʼs plans for the war in Ukraine?
During his election campaign, Trump claimed that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in one day.” After the Republican won the US presidential election, the WSJ reported that he had not decided exactly how he planned to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Some of his advisers have proposed a model where the US would provide weapons to the Ukrainians in exchange for Ukraine not joining NATO for 20 years. Under this plan, the front line would be frozen and both sides would agree to a 1,287-kilometer demilitarized zone.
The WSJ noted that all of Trumpʼs advisorsʼ plans involve freezing the conflict and temporarily refusing Ukraineʼs entry into the Alliance.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine will defend its integrity and will not cede its territories to Russia. In September, Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump and presented him with a victory plan. According to the Ukrainian leader, the meeting was very substantial.
New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that under Donald Trumpʼs presidency, ending the Russian-Ukrainian war will be the official policy of the United States.