Kellogg compares Ukraine to a donkey that needs to be “kicked in the nose”
7 March 10:06
The termination of intelligence sharing by the United States was the result of Ukraine’s own actions. This was stated by retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Komersant ukrainskyi reports citing CBS NEWS.
He compared Ukraine to a sludge that needs to be punched in the nose.
“It’s like hitting a mule on the nose with a board. It got their attention.”
– Kellogg said of the impact of the move.
U.S. intelligence has played a crucial role in helping Ukraine strike Russian military targets, as well as in predicting and preventing enemy attacks. However, according to Kellogg, it is only a “pause” and not a complete cessation of cooperation in this area.
“This is a pause. It’s not the end. But we wanted to get their attention,”
– he said in an interview with CBS News.
In response, the journalist emphasized that this decision actually limits Ukraine’s ability to attack and destroy Russian forces, which is a significant concession to Moscow.
“This pressure has a direct impact on what Ukraine can do on the battlefield,”
– she said.
“Frankly, they brought this on themselves.”
– Kellogg replied, despite the audience’s negative reaction.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed the suspension of intelligence sharing on Wednesday, noting that it came after a tense visit to the White House by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Friday.
Despite Kellogg’s statements about the possible resumption of intelligence cooperation, he refused to give a specific time frame.
“This is a decision of the President of the United States,”
– he emphasized.
“First the minerals deal, then everything else.”
Kellogg does not hide and directly states that the Trump administration is ready to cooperate with Kyiv only after the conclusion of the agreement on rare earth metals.
“Sign the document, and once you do that, proving your seriousness, then you can move forward. When I was in Kyiv two weeks ago, I clearly outlined for President Zelensky the consequences if the agreement is not signed,”
– he explained.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to be the administration’s representative who will officially sign the agreement with Ukraine. Meanwhile, next week, on Tuesday or Wednesday, US Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff plans to meet with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.
According to Kellogg, Vitkoff met with Putin last month for three and a half hours and returned to the United States with “an understanding of Russia’s position” on possible peace talks.
“We want to have a similar conversation with the Ukrainian side,”
– Kellogg said.
Draft agreement between Ukraine and the United States: what is known
In February 2025, the United States and Ukraine reached a preliminary agreement aimed at jointly developing and managing Ukraine’s mineral resources. The agreement, known as the Bilateral Agreement Establishing Conditions for the Reconstruction Investment Fund, provides for the establishment of a joint investment fund to rebuild Ukraine’s war-ravaged economy. The main objective of the fund is to attract and reinvest revenues from Ukraine’s substantial mineral wealth to contribute to its recovery and long-term stability.
Key provisions of the draft agreement
Establishment of the Reconstruction Investment Fund. According to the text of the agreement, published by The Kyiv Independent, the fund will be jointly owned and managed by the governments of the United States and Ukraine. The ownership and financial interests of each party will be defined in a subsequent agreement on the fund. The fund will be managed by representatives of both governments, and more detailed terms will be set out in a subsequent agreement.
Ukraine’s contribution. Ukraine commits to allocate 50% of its future revenues from the monetization of its natural resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, natural gas and other extractive infrastructure, to the Reconstruction Investment Fund. These contributions will continue until the amount reaches USD 500 billion. It is important to note that current sources of revenue that are already included in the general budget of Ukraine are not covered by this agreement.
The role of the United States. The U.S. government is committed to maintaining a long-term financial commitment aimed at developing a stable and economically prosperous Ukraine. This includes investments, financial instruments, and other tangible and intangible assets critical to Ukraine’s recovery. However, the agreement does not provide for specific security guarantees or continued arms transfers to Ukraine; these issues will be discussed separately.
The Istanbul Protocol is no longer relevant
It is noteworthy that Kellogg denied Witkoff’s previous statements that the so-called “Istanbul Protocol,” prepared shortly after the Russian invasion, could serve as the basis for a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow. According to this draft agreement, Ukraine would effectively lose its sovereignty and give up the ability to maintain sufficient defense capabilities to deter Russian aggression.
“Steve called this document a starting point, and this is the right definition. But I do not believe that this is a fair format. We need to develop something fundamentally new,”
– Kellogg said.
He also emphasized that Witkoff’s statements were his personal opinion and
“do not reflect the policy of the Trump administration, as such a policy has not yet been formed.”
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How long will Ukraine last without the United States?
According to Kellogg, Ukraine’s current military reserves will be enough to continue fighting at least until the summer.
“They have the resources to continue the fight, to continue the fighting,”
– he said.
Kellogg would not confirm whether the United States is considering providing security guarantees to Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached. Here, he traditionally passed the buck to Europe.
“This is part of broader discussions with European partners. We are discussing what this might look like: what economic guarantees will be in place, what sanctions will remain, what will happen to frozen assets. We are also considering the military aspect,”
– he explained.
US-Russia
In addition to ending the war, the Trump administration is seeking to “reset” relations with Russia.
“The need to reset the relationship with Russia in order to secure vital U.S. national interests and ultimately end America’s involvement in an endless proxy war are key motivations for President Trump’s approach to this conflict,”
– Kellogg said.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the existing sanctions against Russia need to be applied more rigorously to be truly effective.
“If we evaluate the effectiveness of sanctions on a scale of 1 to 7, the problem is their implementation – we are probably only at level 3. The most important thing is strict compliance with sanctions, not their number,”
– he said.
Trump’s position on Ukraine
During the election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly said that he would stop the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. This deadline has already passed.
Also during the election, the media spread the so-called “Trump Plan”. The plan was that the United States would use its influence to stop the war, taking into account the status quo. To do this, Trump would force Putin and Zelenskyy to sit down at the negotiating table. If Putin does not agree to negotiate, the United States will give Ukraine all the weapons it needs to win on the battlefield. If Zelenskyy refuses to negotiate, the United States will completely stop helping Ukraine.
This plan, in its various variations, included a provision that Russia would retain the territories it temporarily occupied and that Ukraine would not join NATO.
However, later Trump seemed to “forget” about this plan. In particular, he voiced scenarios in which he would force Russia to capitulate due to the decline in world oil prices.
After Trump was elected President of the United States, one of his advisors, Brian Lanza, said that Ukraine should forget about Crimea. Trump’s entourage, however, was quick to deny this statement and said that Lanza could not speak on his behalf.
Currently, the US Special Representative for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is talking about 100 days within which the US wants to reach some kind of agreement. Of these, 46 days have already passed. During this time, the US presidential administration has established contact with the Kremlin, an American envoy has traveled to Moscow, and top-level negotiators have met in Saudi Arabia and Istanbul. Ukraine was not present at these meetings.
Meanwhile, in exchange for military support, US President Donald Trump demanded $500 billion worth of rare earth metals from Ukraine. He said that the US should have access to Ukraine’s natural resources, regardless of whether Kyiv manages to reach a peace agreement with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that in exchange for this agreement, the Ukrainian side is not given any security guarantees.
Negotiations in Riyadh and Istanbul
on February 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Assistant Prime Minister Yuri Ushakov meet in Saudi Arabia with an American delegation represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Volz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
After the talks, the US State Department reported that the delegations agreed to “eliminate irritants” in bilateral relations and continue to work on preparing talks on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The two sides also agreed to appoint high-level groups for further talks on Ukraine.
Jackie Heinrich, a Fox News correspondent at the White House, reported that the United States and Russia are discussing a three-stage peace plan for Ukraine, which consists of the following stages
- A ceasefire.
- Holding elections in Ukraine.
- Conclusion of a peace agreement.
on February 27, negotiations between the Americans and Russians continued in Istanbul. According to the Russian side, they discussed the normalization of diplomatic relations. The Kremlin also allegedly demanded the return of 6 properties that were seized from Russians in the United States during 2016-2018, and also proposed to resume air travel.
Trump’s proposals to Putin
According to inaccurate information from former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul(he used the word “allegedly”), Trump offered Putin (McFaul’s wording is retained)
- ukrainian territory;
- ukraine’s non-membership in NATO;
- no American soldiers in Ukraine;
- withdrawal of American soldiers from Europe, including from frontline countries;
- easing of sanctions.
Putin, according to McFaul, has not offered anything yet.
