Kellogg: Russia Can’t Keep Stalling and Bombing

US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Lt. Gen Keith Kellogg Jr., criticized Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov’s recent comments blaming Ukraine and the US for the failure to negotiate peace.

Kellogg was appointed special envoy for Ukraine by US President Donald Trump in November 2024 following Trump’s election victory. 

“Peskov’s recent comments on the state of negotiations are Orwellian. Russian claims that it is the US and Ukraine stalling peace talks are unfounded. President Trump has been consistent and adamant about making progress to end the war. We urge an immediate ceasefire and a move to trilateral talks to end the war. Russia cannot continue to stall for time while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine,” Kellogg wrote today in a post on X.

In comments covered by Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had told Belarus 1 TV on Sunday that he thought there may be prospects for peace, “A lot depends, naturally, on the position of the Kyiv regime. It depends on how effectively Washington’s mediating efforts continue,” without recognizing Russia’s role in stalling negotiations.

Despite its inability to defeat Ukraine or make significant gains on the battlefield, Russia has continued with its maximalist demands.

Moscow’s June 2 memorandum presented to the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul included demands that Ukraine completely withdraw from occupied territories, place limits on troop strength, weapons, and permanently abandon plans for NATO membership. 

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Trump to Join Zelensky for G7 Working Session on Ukraine Peace Conditions

US President Donald Trump will participate in a working session with President Volodymyr Zelensky during the upcoming G7 summit in Evian, France. The primary focus of the session is to establish parameters and conditions for potential peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, regarding territorial disputes and maintaining sanctions against Moscow. European leaders, who are currently shouldering the bulk of military and financial aid to Kyiv following the suspension of US bilateral military donations, are pushing for a more prominent role in the peace process.

At a June 27 press conference in Minsk, Belarus, Putin stated, “As for the memorandums, as expected, nothing surprising happened... these are two absolutely contradictory memorandums,” referencing the Ukrainian and Russian peace proposals.

Earlier on Monday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed a similar frustration at the Russian negotiating position during a visit to Kyiv: “Putin is not giving up on his maximalist demands – he doesn’t want negotiations, he wants capitulation.”

Kellogg has been much more critical of Russia than his counterpart, Special Envoy for Russia Steven Witkoff, a close Trump ally who has been working in Moscow.