When US President Donald Trump flew out of Washington to Alaska this morning with his aides, a key player was missing from the plane - Trump's special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, UNN reports, citing CNN.
Why is Kellogg not part of the American delegation?
Kellogg, a former general who has been the Trump administration's primary contact with the Ukrainians, is perceived by the Russian side as sympathetic to Ukraine, which could have made his presence at the meeting "counterproductive," a senior US administration official explained to the media.
Kellogg shared all information he received during conversations with Ukrainians with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two senior administration officials said, stating that his absence does not cause serious concerns. One of the officials also noted that Rubio is also not perceived as someone who takes a soft stance on Russia, given his previous statements in which he called Putin a war criminal while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Europeans are concerned that Kellogg is not in the delegation
"He hoped to be there, and he should be there," one European official said, adding that the absence of his deep knowledge is a great loss. According to the official, Kellogg best understands what terms of agreement Ukraine can offer.
Kellogg is expected to join the delegation that will travel to any future meeting with the US, Russia, and Ukraine.
Recall
The presidents of the US and Russia will hold talks in Alaska on Friday, August 15. The meeting was initiated by Putin, and Zelenskyy emphasizes the impossibility of resolving Ukraine's fate without its participation.
Russian dictator's spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that no documents are planned to be signed following the talks in Alaska. The summit will discuss issues "related to the Ukrainian settlement."
The planned meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place on Friday at 11:00 AM local time (10:00 PM Kyiv time) in Anchorage.
Political scientist Oleh Lisnyi believes that the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska will not be a turning point, but only the beginning of the process. He proposes a trilateral or quadrilateral format for negotiations with the participation of Ukraine and Europe.