U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, has confirmed that he will take part next week in the Munich Security Conference but rejected a report that he will reveal the White House’s peace proposal while in Germany.
Kellogg said he looks forward to speaking at the annual conference and discussing “Trump’s goal to end the bloody and costly war in Ukraine,” and that he also plans to “meet with America’s allies who are ready to work with us.”
Since Kellogg revealed that he will speak at the conference, which is scheduled to take place February 14-16, there has been speculation that he will unveil Trump’s plan to end the war. Bloomberg news on February 5 quoted unidentified sources as saying that Kellogg would present the plan during the conference.
Kellogg flatly rejected the report in an interview with the news outlet Newsmax, saying “No we’re not.”
“The person that’s going to present the peace plan is the president of the United States, not Keith Kellogg. That (presenting the peace plan) is not going to happen next week at all.”
In comments on February 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will lead Ukraine’s delegation at the conference, said he is certain that there is no official U.S. plan yet, suggesting that any formal plan should be coordinated with Kyiv.
“Maybe I’m mistaken… but I’m sure that what’s in various publications…is not President Trump’s official plan, because I’m sure that our teams are going to work together,” Zelenskyy said. “There can be no separate plan from somebody, not even from the United States.”
Zelenskyy added that even before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, “we had the opportunity to listen to each other, to hear about visons [of peace] and about things that are priorities and things on which there can be no concessions from the Ukrainian people. That is, he knows [our] position.”
Zelenskyy voiced confidence that Trump can pressure Putin into ending the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
“Putin is afraid to speak with me about an end to the war. I don’t know why. He is a grown man, but he’s afraid to be left alone with me. I don’t know. But nonetheless, I think that Trump will be able to force him to end the war.”
Andriy Yermak, chief of Zelenskyy’s office, said the Ukrainian delegation will present the country’s position on ending the war and their views on how “a long and lasting peace” can be achieved.
“It’s necessary that the leaders and the experts in politics who will be in Munich realize that this is momentum,” he told the AP. “That we are very near to really ending this war by a just and lasting peace, but (it’s) necessary to be together [and not give] Russia an opportunity to divide the world, to divide partners.”
Kellogg said last week that Trump has a “solid” strategy to end the war within months. The comment came amid behind-the-scenes talks and back-channel negotiations to find a way to bring the nearly 3-year-old Russian invasion to an end.
He and other officials have hinted at a plan to achieve what Trump allies call “peace through strength.” The plan includes potentially freezing the conflict and leaving Russian-occupied territories “in limbo.” It also includes providing security guarantees to Ukraine, but it is not specified what they would be.
The Kremlin announced on February 5 an increase in contacts with the United States regarding the push to seek a resolution of the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was ready to negotiate with Zelenskyy despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to hold talks with him because his term expired last year.
Ukraine has not been able to organize elections because it has been under martial law since the war started.
Kellogg said on February 5 on the conservative U.S. broadcaster Newsmax that Ukraine would reach a point when it would have to hold and election.
“The sign of a healthy democracy is the willingness and the ability to have an election, even in the time of war,” he said.
According to Kellogg, the United States is considering the possibility of putting pressure not only on Moscow, but also on Kyiv to come to the table. He warned on February 2 that both sides will have to make concessions if they hope to negotiate a settlement to the war.
Zelenskyy “has already indicated he will soften his position on land,” Kellogg said on February 1. “And Putin is going to have to soften his positions as well.” Trump has insisted he wants to end the war quickly, and said he wants to meet Putin as soon possible.
Zelenskyy said on February 5 in his nightly video address that Ukraine had been “significantly intensifying” its contacts with the Trump administration, adding that it also has had “quite meaningful contacts with other partners.”
Zelenskyy said in an interview published on YouTube on February 4 that he would agree to direct talks with Putin but the United States and European Union must take part.
“If people believe we must move to the diplomatic track, and I believe we are ready to move to the diplomatic track, there must be the U.S., Europe, Ukraine, and Russia.”
Asked in the interview with British journalist Piers Morgan how he would feel sitting opposite Putin at a negotiating table, Zelenskyy said: “If that is the only setup in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose people, definitely we will go for this setup.”
He added: “I will not be kind to him, I consider him an enemy. To be honest, I think he considers me an enemy, too.”
The German government said on February 5 that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance would attend the Munich Security Conference. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced that Vance would attend. The conference confirmed that Vance would attend on X.
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