Donald Trump Photo: David ‘Dee’ Delgado / Reuters
US President-elect Donald Trump plans to make every effort to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible”, stressing that no concessions to Russian leader Vladimir Putin are acceptable. Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said this in an interview with Fox News.
“Donald Trump is committed not only to ending the war, but also to ensuring that Ukraine’s sovereignty is preserved. He has no intention of making any concessions to Putin or Russia,” Kellogg said.
According to Kellogg, the new US administration intends to create conditions for negotiations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. The main goal is to find a solution to the conflict within the first 100 days after Trump’s inauguration, scheduled for 20 January.
Trump’s position: understanding the challenges and being cautious in decisions
Trump has previously stated that he hopes to end the war in Ukraine within six months of taking office. At the same time, he expressed understanding of Russia’s “feelings” Russia’s opposition to Ukraine’s accession to NATO, noting that this issue has become a key one in the conflict.
“Moscow and Kyiv managed to reach agreements in the past that suited both sides, but Joe Biden’s administration broke them off,” Trump said.
Challenges for diplomacy
Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the recognition of these territories and Crimea as Russian, and the confirmation of Ukraine’s non-nuclear status. At the same time, President Zelenskyy emphasises the need for security guarantees for the territories controlled by Ukraine, not ruling out the possibility of further returning the lost lands through diplomacy.
Future steps of the Trump administration
Trump’s Special Representative Keith Kellogg plans to visit Ukraine after the presidential inauguration. His visit is expected to be an important step in building a dialogue between Washington, Kyiv and European capitals.
Ukraine, Europe, and the US are closely following the plans of the new administration, which promises a proactive approach to resolving the conflict. Time will tell whether this will be the beginning of a new phase of diplomacy.
