Keith Kellogg, US President-elect Donald Trump's incoming special envoy for Ukraine, said he hopes to mediate a resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 100 days, starting from the day Mr. Trump takes office on January 20.
“I know I’m running out of time,” retired US Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg told Fox News on January 8. “I want to set a goal on a personal level, on a professional level. I want to say let’s set a goal of 100 days.”
Mr. Kellogg emphasized that President-elect Donald Trump remains committed to restarting negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to find a solution to the fighting that has caused "huge" casualties on both sides.
"Mr. Trump is not trying to give something to Mr. Putin or the Russians. He is really trying to save Ukraine and save their sovereignty. And he will make sure that it is fair and reasonable," said special envoy Kellogg.
President Joe Biden has never had a conversation with President Putin in more than two years, while Trump “talks to both adversaries and allies,” Kellogg added.
Mr Trump has repeatedly vowed to quickly broker a successful peace deal, but has offered few details. According to media reports, Mr Trump’s team is considering freezing the conflict along the current front lines.
Talks between Russia and Ukraine broke down in the spring of 2022, with both sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands. Mr Putin said that for any solution to work, Ukraine would have to abandon plans to join NATO and drop its claims to Crimea and four other former Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia.
