U.S. to mediate Ukraine-Russia talks, no direct role for Europe — Kellogg

European Pravda reported this, citing a live broadcast of the Ukrainian Lunch within the framework of the Munich Security Conference.

When asked about the participation of Ukraine and Europe in future peace talks, Kellogg repeatedly assured that Ukraine would and must be part of the process.

“There was never any statement from the U.S. suggesting that Ukrainians should be excluded from the discussion,” he said, recalling that U.S. President Donald Trump also repeatedly emphasized Ukraine’s involvement in peace negotiations.

According to Kellogg, the negotiations will include Ukrainian and Russian representatives, while the U.S. will act as a mediator, RBK-Ukraine reports.

“When we talk about sitting at the table… I’m here to gather important information. I am a diplomat. Ukrainians and Russians will be at the table, with Americans acting as mediators,” he stated.

Kellogg emphasized that he is a “realist” and, although he is not fundamentally opposed to the participation of European politicians in the talks, he does not believe it is necessary to involve those who are “part of the problem.”

“I’m telling you honestly what will happen. We looked at the ‘Minsk-2’ issue. There were a lot of people at the table, but they had no real ability to contribute to the peace process—that wasn’t successful. We won’t repeat ‘Minsk.’ I don’t want to be vague; I want to be clear about defining the table. Will you sit at the third table? (addressing European representatives). Will your interests be included in these discussions? Yes. But if you mean physically sitting at the table, then no,” Kellogg said, as quoted by RBK-Ukraine.

Trump assigns roles for peace negotiation preparations

Keith Kellogg revealed that Donald Trump has assigned roles in preparing for the peace negotiations to officials responsible for this issue, according to European Pravda.

The special representative assured that he is involved in this process, despite rumors of his removal that spread after Trump’s conversation with Vladimir Putin.

The publication recalls that after the conversation with Putin, Donald Trump announced a negotiation team that included his special representative for the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, but did not mention Kellogg by name. Kellogg clarified that he does not work on Russian affairs.

“Witkoff is more involved in the U.S.-Russia line, while I work on the U.S.-Ukraine-Europe line,” he explained.

However, Kellogg stressed that he will not make any decisions; his role is to lay the foundation for Trump’s decisions.

“One of the reasons I am here is to discuss security guarantees with NATO members and hear what they consider necessary. I then pass that information on to the person who makes the decisions—President Trump. Keith Kellogg will not make decisions. I won’t drive history,” he explained.

Kellogg also stated that he considers Trump’s actions effective.

“We’ve done more in the past 30 days (to stop the war) than the previous administration did in three years,” he concluded.