U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine war envoy, Keith Kellogg, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Wednesday but refused to release further information about their discussions. Animosity still smolders over the comments made by Trump that called for blaming Ukraine for starting the war, remarks that had initially been met with a counter-blame from Zelensky for recycling Kremlin disinformation. Trump’s call for a quick conclusion to the war has caused significant frustrations, with European allies and senior U.S. officials expressing concerns about his strategy.
Kellogg travelled to Kyiv to meet on matters including prisoners of war, security assurances, and the current battlefield dynamics. After the meeting, Zelensky termed it as ‘detailed and productive’ on social media, although no joint press conference was conducted. The negotiations follow Trump’s attempts to re-establish relations with Russia and negotiate Ukraine’s mineral wealth, a proposal rejected by Zelensky because of the absence of security assurances.
The Trump administration also weighed offering a new mineral agreement to Zelensky, but it was not known if the president would entertain this possibility. In the meantime, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz labelled Zelensky’s comments ‘unacceptable’ and called on him to resume negotiations.
Trump’s policy on Ukraine has led European leaders to prepare for greater defence spending, with some calling for the creation of a U.S.-supported European peacekeeping force. French President Emmanuel Macron was critical of Trump’s handling of Russia, stressing that firmness against Putin was needed in order to keep the world credible. Waltz supported European-sponsored security guarantees, as well as greater defence spending by NATO allies.
At the same time, Russian troops press their attack throughout Ukraine, with Moscow holding roughly a fifth of the country. Ukrainian authorities think a ceasefire would only give Russia time to reorganize for new assaults, although some military intelligence officials say a ceasefire could be feasible this year, even if it is questionable how long it would last.
Trump’s demand for elections in Ukraine, under martial law, has created opposition within Ukraine. Zelensky’s term, which was extended because of the war, was to expire last May, but under existing martial law, elections are not feasible. Opponents such as Yulia Tymoshenko have defended Zelensky’s legitimacy and said that conducting elections in a state of war would be immoral, considering the military’s involvement in the conflict. Others, such as former President Petro Poroshenko, have been silent regarding Trump’s election comments, while others have urged national unity.
Poroshenko party lawmaker Iryna Herashchenko called on Zelensky to halt what she called ‘political repression’ against oppositionists, while Serhii Prytula, the head of a charity, warned Ukrainians against taking Trump’s words too literally. “Don’t forget that here in Ukraine only we – Ukrainians – decide who is a dictator and who isn’t,” he tweeted.
