KYIV – Keith Kellogg, the U.S. particular envoy for Ukraine and Russia, arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and army commanders, because the U.S. shifted its coverage away from years of efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kellogg’s journey got here a day after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth yr subsequent week, and talks between top American and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia sidelined Ukraine and its European supporters.
Trump’s feedback are prone to vex Ukrainian officers, who’ve urged the world to assist them battle Russia’s full-scale invasion that started Feb. 24, 2022.
The battlefield has additionally introduced grim information for Ukraine in current months. A relentless onslaught in japanese areas by Russia’s greater military is grinding down Ukrainian forces, that are slowly however steadily being pushed backward at some factors on the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) entrance line.
Trump instructed reporters at his Florida residence Tuesday that Ukraine “ought to have by no means began” the conflict and “may have made a deal” to stop it.
Kellogg stated his go to was “an opportunity to have some good, substantial talks.” Zelenskyy canceled his deliberate Wednesday journey to Saudi Arabia in what some analysts noticed as an try and deny legitimacy to the U.S.-Russia talks about the way forward for his nation.
American officers have signaled that Ukraine’s hopes of becoming a member of NATO so as to chase away Russian aggression after reaching a doable peace settlement received’t occur. Zelenskyy says any settlement would require U.S. safety commitments to maintain Russia at bay.
“We perceive the necessity for safety ensures,” Kellogg stated in feedback carried by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Novyny on his arrival at Kyiv practice station.
“It’s very clear to us the significance of the sovereignty of this nation and the independence of this nation as effectively. … A part of my mission is to take a seat and pay attention,” the retired three-star common stated.
Kellogg stated he would convey what he learns on his go to to Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “and make sure that we get this one proper.”
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Comply with AP’s protection of the conflict in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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