President-elect Donald Trump has appointed his longtime defense policy adviser, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, to lead his effort to end Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Kellogg, a highly decorated Special Forces qualified officer who served in Vietnam, Panama, and Desert Storm, has been part of Trump’s inner circle since 2016. He was chief of staff for the National Security Council and served briefly as National Security Adviser between the dismissal of Mike Flynn and the appointment of H. R. McMaster. He was appointed as National Security Adviser to Vice President Mike Pence and held that position while simultaneously advising Trump.
I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration. He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!
Trump has promised on multiple occasions to bring the war in Ukraine to a quick end; he’s even promised that a settlement will be in place before he takes office.
One thing for certain is that Kellogg’s commentary on the war should serve as proof that Russia did not want Trump elected. Not only will the Russians be unhappy, but that anti-Ukraine/pro-Russian faction that portrays themselves a part of the America First movement should take the appointment as a hint of just how out of touch they are with Trump and with America. Kellogg is not in favor of imposing territorial concessions on Ukraine. He is not in favor of withdrawing support from Ukraine. He has visited the battlefields in Ukraine.
General Keith Kellogg, whom Trump appointed as “special envoy for Ukraine and Russia,” said in an interview with Fox News that there is no need to wait for negotiations and that Ukraine will fight for every inch of its land. The end of the war, according to Keith’s statement, will be the ejection of Russians from the entire territory of Ukraine. Obviously, such a statement cannot fail to please and already favorably distinguishes Kellogg from Trump.
I really hope that Keith Kellogg’s words will not be at odds with his actions as an advisor to Trump.
Here are some quotes from the interview:
“Bottom line, Ukrainians want to fight. They don’t want US troops, they don’t want NATO troops. All they want is equipment and they’re going to fight this to the end.”
“I think why this is important geostrategically. If the ukrainians can defeat russia in the field injected from the Donbas or Crimea – Putin falls. It changes Europe for a generation to come.”
“And I think when we look at what’s going to happen over there, I believe it’s very important we get them the equipment to fight. Because I think now we’re right on the cusp. I think it’s going to come out probably in just a couple of months, when we get into the spring, into the summer, and then into the fall, this is going to be a fight to the end. Ukraine is not going to negotiate. They have no intention to negotiate. They want to eject Russian forces from Ukraine. I don’t care if it’s Donbass, I don’t care if it’s Crimea.”
“People need to realize, Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe. I saw that just driving it. They’re very committed to freedom and democracy. They recognize they’ve got some issues with things that have happened in the past, with illegal activities going on. They understand that. They’re trying to correct it. But I’ll tell you, their military is a fighting military. I saw it firsthand.”
“And there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re committed to this fight and fight to the end. So one of these two sides is going to win. I don’t think there’s going to be anything to negotiate. I don’t think there’s going to be any negotiations, despite what people want to talk about. Zelensky’s not going to do it, and neither is Putin.”
Oddly enough, in this interview Kellogg sounds a lot like my post on the subject: Is Trump’s Pledge to End the War in Ukraine in 24-Hours Real or Just Campaign Hyperbole? The deal-breaker in negotiations will happen when Putin refuses to negotiate without preconditions.
The larger message we can take away from this appointment is that Trump will not disengage from Europe and NATO, and he is not going to cut Ukraine loose and let Putin do what he will.
The bottom line is that Trump’s pledge to end the war is in the hands of a Trump loyalist with deep experience inside the national security system. He will be working with Marco Rubio, whose position on Putin’s War is very similar to his own. Everyone will know that his opinions are those of Trump and of the Trump’s administration. I don’t know how successful he will be, but Trump could not have picked a better man to broker a lasting and just peace in Europe.
