Trump taps loyalist and retired general Keith Kellogg as Ukraine envoy

Washington DC - President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was nominating retired general Keith Kellogg – an alum of his first term and a staunch loyalist – as his Ukraine envoy, charged with ending the two-and-a-half-year Russian invasion.

Retired general Keith Kellogg has been selected as President-elect Trump's Ukraine envoy.
Retired general Keith Kellogg has been selected as President-elect Trump's Ukraine envoy.  © SAUL LOEB / AFP

"I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration," Trump said in a statement posted to social media.

Kellogg (80), a fixture on the cable news circuit, co-wrote an academic paper earlier this year calling for Washington to use military aid to Ukraine as leverage to push for peace talks.

"The United States would continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to ensure Russia will make no further advances and will not attack again after a cease-fire or peace agreement," the research document for the Trumpist America First Policy Institute think tank said.

Trump camp reportedly "laughing" at Biden's attempts at peaceful transition
Donald Trump Trump camp reportedly "laughing" at Biden's attempts at peaceful transition

"Future American military aid, however, will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia."

Kellogg served in several positions during Trump's first term, including as chief of staff on Trump's national security council and national security advisor to then-vice president Mike Pence.

Kellogg has called for US to use Ukraine military aid as leverage

Kellogg told Voice of America at the Republican convention in July that Ukraine's options were "quite clear."

"If Ukraine doesn't want to negotiate, fine, but then accept the fact that you can have enormous losses in your cities and accept the fact that you will have your children killed, accept the fact that you don't have 130,000 dead, you will have 230,000–250,000," he said.

Trump, meanwhile, has insisted that he could end the war in "a day," possibly even before taking office, presumably as part of a deal that would require Kyiv to cede some of its lost territory to Moscow.

Cover photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP

More on Donald Trump: