US President Donald Trump has tasked his special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, with ending the war in Ukraine within 100 days, the Wall Street Journal reported on January 21.

Kellogg, a retired US Army general and former National Security Council official, was appointed to the role despite having no prior diplomatic experience. According to former colleagues, Kellogg is unlikely to directly participate in peace talks but will adhere closely to Trump’s directives.

“He will certainly not come up with anything that deviates from what Trump wants,” a former NSC member said. Kellogg was reportedly chosen for the position based on a peace plan he proposed last year, which included a ceasefire and negotiations brokered through a carrot-and-stick approach. The plan suggested Nato refrain from admitting Ukraine and proposed easing sanctions on Russia in exchange for a peace deal. It also included a controversial clause threatening to halt military aid to Ukraine if Kyiv refused to negotiate.

Russia's Foreign Ministry described Trump’s presidency as creating a "small window of opportunity" for direct talks between Moscow and Washington.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, however, emphasised that any peace agreement must include robust security guarantees from the US and Nato, as well as the deployment of American peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. Zelenskiy argued that European allies lack sufficient military capacity to deter Russian aggression effectively, warning that alternative solutions could lead to divisions within Nato.

“Ending the war should be a victory for Trump, not for Putin,” Zelenskiy said during a press briefing in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian leader made it clear that Kyiv would not accept any agreement made without its input. “We do not want this to happen behind the backs of Ukrainians,” Zelenskiy said, adding that the country’s future must be decided with its full involvement.

Zelenskiy called for “strong and irreversible” security commitments from the US before engaging in direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The only question is what the security guarantees will be, and honestly, I want to have an understanding of this before the talks,” he said.