Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine has claimed that the country could be partitioned like Berlin after the Second World War as part of a peace deal – as the US president urged Russia to “get moving” on a ceasefire.
Keith Kellogg told The Times that British and French troops could adopt zones of control in the west of the country, forming a “reassurance force”, while Russia’s army could remain in the occupied east – separated by Ukrainian forces and a demilitarised zone.
The Anglo-French-led force west of the Dnipro river – which bisects Ukraine from north to south – would “not be provocative at all” to the Kremlin, said Mr Kellog, who was excluded from peace talks last month because Russia complained that he was “too close” to Kyiv.
It came as four people were injured in Kyiv and Kharkiv during an overnight barrage of Russian drone strikes, which damaged residential buildings and sparked fires, also hitting the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin for talks on a “Ukrainian settlement” in St Petersburg lasting four hours on Friday.
Donald Trump has been “continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict”, the White House has said.
Speaking after it emerged that Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff had met Vladimir Putin once again in Russia, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “This is another step in the negotiating process towards a ceasefire and an ultimate peace deal in Russia and Ukraine.
“As these negotiations are ongoing, I obviously will not get ahead of the president or his team, but I think the president has been quite clear that he’s been continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict, and he wants to see this fighting end.”
