U.S. Envoy Kellogg discusses ceasefire framework and “end state” for Ukraine war

According to Radio Liberty, Kellogg made these remarks during a forum organized by the German Marshall Fund in Brussels.

He explained that they had examined both the Ukrainian and Russian documents — the latter referred to by the Russians as a memorandum — and asked how the two could be reconciled to reach a final resolution. Kellogg said they now felt confident in their understanding of what the end state could and should look like, and believed that if this point could be reached, it would constitute a kind of victory — by which he meant the achievement of a peace agreement.

When asked about what specifically the "end state" might entail, Kellogg referred to the idea of a comprehensive ceasefire. He clarified that such a ceasefire would apply to positions held on the ground — essentially, where forces were physically located at that time.

He went on to outline additional conditions that could help make such a ceasefire sustainable in the long term. These included the return of children and prisoners currently held in Russia, which he said would contribute to long-term resilience not only for Ukraine but also for Europe. Kellogg added that a further goal would be to reintegrate Russia into the international community — what he termed a return to something akin to the League of Nations — so that all parties could coexist under the agreed terms in the long run.

Kellogg also referred to the human cost of the conflict, describing it as "industrial-scale killing" and estimating that more than 1.2 million people had been killed or wounded.

In separate remarks, he praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, acknowledging the significant challenges he faced. Kellogg mentioned that he had raised the issue with the U.S. President, telling him that no American leader since Abraham Lincoln had faced a task comparable to Zelenskyy’s — leading a war for national survival on home soil. He emphasized that witnessing such a situation underscored the severity of the problems currently confronting Ukraine, which he felt were sometimes overlooked.

• Earlier, U.S. presidential envoy Keith Kellogg stated that military casualties in the Russia's war on Ukraine have reached 1.2 million.