US special envoy heading to Ukraine ahead of Independence Day – Reuters
Photo: Trump's special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg (Getty Images)
Trump's special representative, Keith Kellogg, is scheduled to arrive in Kyiv on Saturday. He will take part in a series of ceremonies dedicated to Ukraine's Independence Day, according to Reuters journalist Gram Slattery.
"Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg heads to Kyiv tomorrow, per sources, to participate in a prayer breakfast/Independence Day ceremonies. He’ll also discuss this week’s diplomatic flurry w/ leaders," Slattery writes.
He notes that Kellogg's visit to Kyiv will take place amid discussions between the US, Ukraine, and Europe on security guarantees.
This is not Kellogg's first visit to Ukraine. He visited Kyiv last month, and it is worth noting that at that time, the Russians were not striking the capital and were less aggressive than usual. Incidentally, there are currently no drones over Ukraine, except for the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Meeting with Kellogg and security guarantees for Ukraine
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington, where he met with US President Donald Trump, as well as European leaders, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
On the eve of this event, Zelenskyy met with Kellogg. He discussed with him the situation on the front lines, as well as the joint diplomatic capabilities of Ukraine, Europe, and America.
"We discussed the situation on the battlefield, our strong diplomatic capabilities — Ukraine's and all of Europe's, together with America's. Russia can only be forced to make peace through force, and President Trump has that force. We must do everything right to ensure that peace truly comes. Thank you!" said the President.
At a meeting with Trump and European officials, Zelenskyy discussed ending the war, in particular, security guarantees for Ukraine.
Information on this subject is updated daily. Yesterday, the Ukrainian leader said that the US is ready to be part of security guarantees and that negotiations on the specific content of security guarantees are currently ongoing daily.
"We, together with all our partners, have reached an important mutual understanding with the United States. The United States is ready to be part of security guarantees for Ukraine. And this is the first time we have achieved exactly such readiness," Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, according to CNN, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Washington will participate in post-war security guarantees, but noted that Europe should take the lead.
