US envoy Kellogg heads to Kyiv for Independence Day, diplomatic talks

The US President's Special Representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is set to arrive in Kyiv on August 23, Reuters correspondent Graham Slattery announced on X.

According to sources cited by the journalist, Kellogg’s visit will coincide with Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations on August 24, and he is expected to attend a prayer breakfast during his stay.

The trip will also include discussions on renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, which have seen a noticeable intensification this week. Slattery noted that the visit comes amid ongoing talks regarding possible security guarantees for Kyiv.

As the president’s special envoy, Kellogg maintains direct communication with Ukraine’s leadership, particularly on issues related to managing the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow. He has visited Ukraine several times, most recently in July, and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of talks with President Donald Trump in Washington in mid-August.

However, Kellogg has been absent from several key negotiation platforms. He did not participate in the US–Russia talks in Riyadh on February 18 or the US–Ukraine discussions in Jeddah on March 11. According to NBC, this absence was due to Russia’s perception of him as being overly “pro-Ukrainian,” which Moscow believed could complicate the discussions.

Similarly, Kellogg did not attend the Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the Ukraine issue was among the central topics. CNN reported that his non-participation stemmed from concerns that his presence could have been “counterproductive” in facilitating dialogue with Moscow.

Kellogg has been directly involved in shaping the administration’s strategic approach to Ukraine. In June 2024, together with Trump adviser Fred Fleitz, he presented a peace plan to the US president. The proposal stipulated that Ukraine would continue to receive military support only if it agreed to start negotiations, while warning Russia of increased assistance to Kyiv should Moscow refuse to engage. The plan envisioned a ceasefire based on the “prevailing front lines.”

By August 2024, Kellogg praised Ukrainian military operations but acknowledged that the conflict could not be resolved solely through a military victory. In November, he emphasised that direct, personal agreements were often the most effective way to manage disputes with Russia. “You always have stronger options, such as sanctions or brute force, but that's not what you should choose first,” Kellogg remarked at the time.

Ukraine, for its part, continues to seek security guarantees as part of any eventual peace agreement with Russia. European leaders have been discussing a “NATO-light” framework, which would not grant Kyiv the full collective defence protection guaranteed under the NATO charter but would obligate signatory countries to coordinate a swift response in the event of an attack.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently clarified that these security assurances would consist of two levels: the establishment of “some kind of peace agreement or ceasefire, or a combination of both,” and additional commitments of support from the US and European allies.

Moscow, meanwhile, insists that any collective security guarantees offered to Ukraine by the West must be “reliable” and designed according to the principle of indivisible security for its neighbouring states, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Kremlin continues to condemn Western arms supplies to Kyiv and opposes any scenario involving the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine.

By Tamilla Hasanova