Kyiv called a proposal that Washington has developed thus far for peace in Ukraine a “failed plan,” saying a push for a cease-fire and elections in Ukraine isn’t enough to “intimidate” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, on February 2 warned that both sides will have to make concessions if they hope to negotiate a settlement to the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has already indicated he will soften his position on land,” Kellogg said. “And Putin is going to have to soften his positions as well.”
“We’re going to have discussions with everybody over time, and probably in the near term,” he added. “And it’s good for both sides.”
Kellogg told Reuters in an interview that Washington wants Ukraine to hold elections, potentially by the end of this year, especially if a truce is reached to stop the fighting.
Dmytro Lytvyn, an aide to Zelenskyy, on February 2 said that “we haven’t seen Mr. Kellogg’s full interview, only a few quotes about the elections, so it’s hard to fully assess his position.”
“But if his plan is just a cease-fire and elections, it is a failed plan — Putin won’t be intimidated by just those two things,” he told Reuters.
Ukraine remains under martial law and has not held elections since Russia’s invasion — something Kellogg said was permitted under the Ukrainian Constitution.
Putin has called Zelenskyy “illegitimate” because his presidential term has officially expired.
Late on February 2, following Kellogg’s comments, Trump said talks with Ukraine and Russia were going “pretty well.”
“We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia. And I think those discussions are actually going pretty well,” he added without being specific.
Zelenskyy has rejected any deal that would require him to make territorial concessions to Russia, which controls large portions of southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula.
Some of the territory was taken during a previous invasion in 2014, while the rest was captured following Russia’s full-scale invasion of February 2022.
However, Ukraine — outgunned and outmanned by Russian forces — has suffered increasing battlefield losses in recent months, leading to pressure on Zelenskyy to ease his opposition to the loss of land, even temporarily.
Russia has also suffered massive casualties on the battlefield and its economy has been left in ruins through military spending and Western-imposed sanctions.
The future of U.S. military aid to Ukraine is also unclear. Trump has criticized the amount of assistance provided to Kyiv by the previous administration.
Trump said on February 3 that he wants Ukraine to supply the United States with rare earth minerals as a form of payment for U.S. financial support.
“We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.”
More than four dozen minerals, including several types of rare earths, nickel, and lithium, are considered critical to the U.S. economy and national defense. Ukraine has large deposits of uranium, lithium, and titanium.
Trump has vowed to quickly end the war but has not provided details of any potential plans to bring the sides together.
Kellogg on January 31 said Trump has a “solid” strategy to end the war in Ukraine within months, also without providing details.
Kellogg’s assertion 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.
Putin for his part has complimented Trump and signaled a willingness to meet. But he’s also ruled out holding talks with Zelenskyy, which would potentially complicate any upcoming negotiations.
Ukraine has sought long-term security guarantees, including the potential for Western peacekeeping forces, to prevent Russia from rebuilding its forces and attacking again following a cease-fire.
On the battlefield, Ukraine continued to target fuel and energy facilities inside Russia. Drones ignited a fire in the Astrakhan region and forced the suspension of flights at several airports, Russian officials and media said early on February 3.
“Ukrainian armed forces attempted a drone attack on objects located in the region, including fuel and energy facilities,” Astrakhan Governor Igor Babushkin said on Telegram.
“The attack was successfully repelled. Falling drone sparked a fire. There were no casualties,” he wrote from the southern Russian region near the Kazakh border.
He did not specify what was on fire, but the Baza Telegram channel said it was a gas-processing plant near Astrakhan city.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities on February 2 said the toll of the Russian missile strike the day before in Poltava reached 14 dead, including three children, with at least 20 injured.
With reporting by Reuters
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