U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's new special envoy to Ukraine will travel to Kiev and several other European capitals in early January, as the next administration tries to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine war. This was reported by Reuters, citing the words of two sources with knowledge of the trip plans, reports UNN.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who is set to become Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and russia, has no plans to visit moscow during that trip, sources who wished to remain unnamed to discuss personal matters said.
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Instead, he will visit senior leaders in Kiev, and his team is working to organize meetings with leaders in other European capitals such as Rome and Paris, the sources said. Planning for the trip is still being finalized and the itinerary could change, one of the sources warned.
The meetings are expected to focus on "fact-finding" on behalf of the new Trump administration rather than active negotiations, sources said, according to the publication. Nevertheless, the planned trip illustrates the urgency the president-elect attaches to ending the war in Ukraine.
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Trump has promised to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, if not sooner. Former intelligence and national security officials have expressed doubt that such an outcome is possible, in part because Russian President Vladimir Putin may have little reason to come to the negotiating table, at least on terms acceptable to Kiev.
A representative of Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment, as did representatives of the Ukrainian and Italian embassies in Washington. Media outlets were unable to immediately reach a representative of the French Embassy in Washington.