Trump's ambition: Overseeing a fraught path to Ukraine peace
President of the USA, Donald Trump, wishes to personally oversee negotiations to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. According to the "Wall Street Journal," the special U.S. envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, may not have a significant impact on these talks, despite advocating for increased assistance to Kyiv.
"US President Donald Trump has tasked Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg with ending the war in Ukraine within 100 days. However, few believe he will succeed," writes Alan Cullison, columnist for "WSJ".
Does Trump personally want to end the war?
As Trump's envoy, Kellogg is supposed to advise the president in negotiations, but it is uncertain if Trump wants to use his advice.
Kellogg has repeatedly emphasized the need for continued support for Ukraine. He suggested that increasing arms deliveries might prompt Moscow to negotiate. However, his loyalty to Trump makes it unlikely that he will confront him over Ukraine.
- He will simply follow Trump's orders. He may briefly protest, but Trump chose Kellogg not for his independent judgment - said a former colleague of the general.
The "gingerbread and sticks" plan
Neither Kellogg nor his peace plan have gained recognition in Moscow. Kremlin officials mocked his proposal, calling it unrealistic, and the Kremlin-controlled tabloid "Komsomolskaya Pravda" labelled the document as a "carrot and stick" plan - neither frightening nor encouraging to the Russian side, emphasizes Cullison.
Seth Jones, a security analyst from CSIS., summarizes that the negotiations haven't even started, and the Kremlin is already trampling on Kellogg, who is supposed to be the main American involved in the talks. This doesn't bode well for both the negotiations and the ceasefire, he adds.
