KYIV — US special envoy to the Ukraine war retired Gen. Keith Kellogg visited wounded Ukrainian soldiers Friday to thank them for their sacrifices, which he argued has “given us time” to figure out the “right” way to end Russia’s war on their nation.
Kellogg, who previously served as a national security adviser to the vice president and chief of staff of the National Security Council in the first Trump administration, met with about 20 veterans of the nearly three-year-long war at Irpin Military Hospital just outside of Kyiv, some of whom have suffered life-altering injuries defending Ukraine from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces.
“The biggest reason I wanted to come here was President Trump has said he wants to stop the killing, and you’ve got to go to the place where you see what killing looks like — what death looks like — and see young men and women who have been wounded in combat,” Kellogg told The Post.
“As a soldier, you owe them that respect,” he added. “As a leader, you owe that respect.”
Kellogg, 80, was joined by US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink at the medical facility, where Ukrainian troops with leg and arm amputations were receiving treatments and getting outfitted with prosthetics.
The visit, which Kellogg described in X post as “emotional,” took place against the backdrop of tense negotiations between Trump administration and Ukrainian officials over access to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of mineral rights – which Washington sees as a vital step needed to move forward with peace negotiations, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government views it as a shakedown.
Kellogg’s stop at the military hospital, during which he fielded questions and held individual discussions with wounded soldiers, ingratiated the US to Zelensky and brought Ukrainian officials closer to agreeing to the rare earth mineral deal, sources familiar with the situation told The Post.
One soldier Kellogg met with, named Andrii, had lost both legs, an eye, his hearing and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Andrii had been living in Spain for 17 years but left his wife and three children there to fight the Kremlin’s army.
In one of the most powerful exchanges, a Ukrainian soldier, who said his name was “Denis,” asked if he could pose a question to the Trump administration official and Vietnam War veteran.
“He’s earned that right,” Kellogg responded.
Denis then asked, “In your opinion, can we trust Russia? That they will negotiate?”
The retired general explained that throughout history “all wars end through negotiation.”
“The ultimate victory on the battlefield ends with diplomacy, and today’s world is no different,” he continued.
“I think a better question would be can you trust the people that you are with to make sure that they’re with you? It’s sort of like you ask a deeper question — are you with us? And the answer is, yes, we are,” Kellogg told the soldier.
“Sometimes diplomacy for a soldier is messy, but what the soldier does is he gives time for the politicians and the diplomats to come to a conclusion, and that’s the reason why I make that comment that Ukraine owes you — the world owes you — because you basically sacrifice to allow diplomats to find … a good conclusion — a conclusion you fought for,” he added. “We, in that position, we owe you that. We need to make sure that we end this right.”
“That’s the reason why your sacrifice [matters.] You’ve given us time to make the right [deal],” Kellogg said.
Denis then insisted that Ukraine must continue to have “a strong army,” fearing that after negotiations, it could be “five, maximum 10 years of peace and then it could get back to the next phase of war.”
To which Kellogg replied, “Well I think the intent is there’ll be no next war.”
“We hope for that,” Denis told the ex-general.
“Me too,” Kellogg responded.
