President Volodymyr Zelensky joked that he was ready to grant US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg Ukrainian citizenship on Friday since Russia ostensibly refrains from bombing Kyiv whenever he visits.
Zelensky likened Kellogg to the US Patriot air defense system that protects the city from Russian missiles, according to AFP.
“When Keith Kellogg is in Kyiv, the residents of Kyiv can sleep soundly. Thank you. I would like you to visit all cities in Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
Kellogg arrived in Kyiv earlier this week – marking his third visit to Ukraine in recent months.
Kellogg had reportedly planned to stop in Poland en route, but Russia’s unprecedented drone incursion into Polish airspace on Wednesday disrupted these plans.
Trump said on Thursday that the Russian drones, which were at least 19 in number, may have crossed the border into Poland by “mistake” – a suggestion vehemently rejected by Poland and Ukraine’s European allies.
Kyiv, which recently endured one of the heaviest Russian aerial assaults since the beginning of the war, has been notably quiet since Kellogg’s arrival.
“I am ready to grant General Kellogg citizenship. We can give him an apartment -- anything he needs, if it will prompt Russia to cease fire,” Zelensky added.
Kellogg’s daughter, Meaghan Mobbs, is also a vocal supporter of Ukraine. She volunteered in the war-torn country, helping Kyiv develop technology to identify fallen troops.
Kyiv Post conducted an exclusive interview with Mobbs in February about her work in Ukraine and her relationship with Kellogg.