Critics Decry Trump’s Pick For Russia-Ukraine War Envoy As Longtime Hawk

On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump named retired General Keith Kellogg as his envoy to the Russia-Ukraine war. The 80-year old is a retired lieutenant general who served as chief of staff for the White House National Security Council during Trump’s first term. He was also the national security adviser to Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence.

A Vietnam War veteran, Kellog also spent some time in Iraq after 2003 as an official overseeing the post-Saddam transitional government. “I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration,” Trump posted on TruthSocial. The president-elect added: “Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!”

Many pundits have observed that Kellogg throughout his long career is a hawk, but in April of this year he co-authored a strategy paper laying out his plan to negotiate peace in Ukraine. He blamed President Biden for waging a proxy war on Russia while simultaneously failing on the diplomatic front.

Still, his clearly hawkish leanings came through. He had written with his co-author Fred Fleitz, “Trump also had a Russia policy that demonstrated American strength. For example, in 2018, after the Russian mercenary Wagner Group advanced on U.S. bases in Syria, they were met with immediate and decisive action when President Trump authorized punitive airstrikes against them.”

“Russia never retaliated against the United States over that attack—which reportedly killed hundreds of Russian mercenaries—likely because Putin did not know how Trump would respond,” the paper continued.

Al Jazeera has summarized Kellogg’s plan for Ukraine peace in the following:

• The US would continue to arm Ukraine to allow it to defend itself against Russia. However, future US military aid would be contingent on Ukraine participating in peace talks with Russia.
• In order to convince Putin to join peace talks, NATO leaders should offer to hold off on Ukraine’s NATO membership application.
• Additionally, Russia could be offered some sanctions relief, contingent on it signing a peace agreement with Ukraine.
• It also calls for charging levies on Russian energy sales to use for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Kellog’s plan is generally at odds with Zelensky’s ‘Victory plan’ – given at the heart of this is a clear path to NATO membership, which Kellog says should be put on hold for the sake of negotiating ceasefire.

Gen. Keith Kellogg, who Trump just named “Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia,” has said the “end game” for the war is “evicting the Russians from Ukraine,” including the Donbas and Crimea, resulting in the downfall of Putin. “I don’t think there’s going to be any negotiations” pic.twitter.com/vJwcCtoqah

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) November 27, 2024

Critics have nevertheless warned that Kellog is much more hawkish on Russia than Trump’s own positions laid out on the campaign trail, which blasted the Biden administration’s refusal to deescalate and push for peace.

As a prior regular national security pundit on Fox News, Kellog presented some very hawkish anti-Moscow stances:

Here Kellogg is calling for a no-fly zone, thus attacking Russian planes pic.twitter.com/DgiqaJ9zhN

— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) November 28, 2024

Previously in the Ukraine war, Kellog has gone so far as to advocate for a Western-backed No Fly Zone over Ukraine, which would certainly bring NATO and Russia into direct conflict.