On November 23, Mr. Keith Kellogg - US President's Special Envoy for Ukraine - shared a noteworthy sharing on Fox News, revealing the new pressures that Washington may be putting on the Kiev government in its efforts to find a solution to end the conflict.
Mr. Kellogg's most important statement revolves around Ukraine's internal political issues. He affirmed that holding elections in this country is a mandatory process: "There is one point in the plan that I think is also very important, which is that there will be elections. The plan clearly states that Ukraine needs to hold elections within 100 days."
Mr. Kellogg even gave a more optimistic assessment of the time, saying that based on discussions with stakeholders, this could be done within about 90 days. He stressed the importance of the move: "I think they need to hold elections to reassure the people, as well as to reassure the free world."
The request comes amid the sensitive context as President Volodymyr Zelensky's five-year tenure officially ended in May 2024. However, due to the current martial law, presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine have been postponed indefinitely.
The US's public setting of a specific timeline shows that Washington is seeking to re-establish the identity of the leadership apparatus in Kiev as part of the peace process.
In addition to the political issue, Mr. Kellogg also mentioned another sensitive aspect: the territorial issue. He said the US may push Ukraine to make territorial coses in exchange for strong security guarantees.
This statement marks a significant change in the way of public access. Kiev has previously maintained a tough stance of "no territorial transfer" and considered the restoration of the 1991 border as the ultimate goal.
The fact that a senior US official publicly spoke about the possibility of "land exchanging for security" shows that the US is moving towards a more practical solution to end the conflict, although this could go against the wishes of the current Ukrainian leadership.
