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KYIV — As the United States and Russia meet to discuss Kyiv’s future in Riyadh, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set on showing Washington the reality of war.
Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, is due to visit Ukraine on Thursday.
“He will be in Ukraine for two days, maybe more. I want to invite him to visit the front line with me. I don’t think he’ll say no,” Zelenskyy told journalists on Monday.
Kellogg’s visit comes amid widespread speculation and anxiety that President Donald Trump could negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine over the heads of Kyiv and other Western allies.
“He will visit [Ukrainian Army Chief Commander General Oleksandr] Syrskyi, maybe the brigades’ commanders … military intelligence. We will talk about security guarantees in detail, as it is important. After his visit and return to the U.S. we will understand when will we meet with President Trump,” Zelenskyy said.
Last week, Kellogg announced he would be traveling to Germany, Belgium and Ukraine between Feb. 13-22, “to advance President Trump’s goal of securing peace through strength in Ukraine and upholding the national security interests of the United States.”
So far, out of Trump’s administration, only Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has visited Kyiv, bringing with him a draft agreement on economic cooperation in exchange for the promise of Washington’s support. Zelenskyy eventually refused to sign the deal as it featured no security guarantees for Ukraine.
“Our country is not a resource base,” Zelenskyy said Monday while commenting on why he did not sign the first draft, crafted by the American side. Both sides agreed the deal should be reworked from a memo to a stronger deal format that would clearly define the benefits and obligations for both signatories, Zelenskyy said.
