Kellogg: the negotiating process on Ukraine is “effectively on pause” — and that’s a good thing

Former U.S. special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that the negotiating process among Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow has effectively been put on pause, and described the situation as a positive development.

The comment was made to journalists from Suspilne.

According to Kellogg, some of the American officials involved in the Ukraine track are currently focused on events surrounding Iran. In particular, he was referring to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are participating in the relevant diplomatic efforts. Kellogg stressed that juggling several complex international crises simultaneously is extremely difficult.

“Right now they are working on Iran, and I think the negotiating process is effectively on pause. And that’s not bad. That’s actually good,” he said.

Kellogg also emphasized that, amid Washington’s shifting attention, Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression on its own and, in his assessment, is doing so quite effectively.

On the subject of sanctions policy, the former special envoy said that work on restrictive measures against Russia is ongoing. According to him, the U.S. sanctions package has not yet been finalized, and pressure on Moscow remains in place. Kellogg also viewed positively the very fact that contacts between the parties are being maintained, noting that even limited dialogue remains an important element of the diplomatic process.

Separately, Kellogg spoke about the security of the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. In his view, Russia does not have sufficient resources to expand combat operations beyond the current theater of war, and Vladimir Putin lacks the capacity to open new fronts in the conflict, including against the Baltic states or Poland.

“I think people shouldn’t worry too much about that. Everyone needs to relax a little,” Kellogg said.

In closing, Kellogg recalled that U.S. President Donald Trump supports ending the protracted war and finding paths to a peaceful settlement. He also confirmed his intention to visit Ukraine in late summer 2026.

Against this backdrop, Bloomberg reported that Putin rejected the idea of European leaders participating in talks on ending the war in Ukraine, insisting on a peace agreement concluded between himself and Trump in Anchorage, Alaska. The outlet noted that possible participation in the negotiations had been discussed by representatives of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, who had also coordinated their involvement with the Ukrainian side. The day before, Bloomberg also reported that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had urged the European Union to appoint a representative to conduct peace negotiations with Russia, joining the debate over how to engage with Putin.