There are clear differences between Kellogg’s proposal and the division of Berlin and Germany after World War II. While Germany was forced to surrender to the invading armies, Ukraine would invite the Allies to provide a “security force” in the west of the country, and there is no suggestion that any other territory would be ceded to Russia. Although the analogy is there, the symbolism of the language is striking just weeks away from the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day).
President Trump’s envoy for Ukraine has said the country could be divided “almost like Berlin after World War II” as part of a peace deal. General Keith Kellogg, a key figure in the U.S. effort to end the three-year war, suggested that British and French troops could take control of areas in the west of the country as part of a “security force,” with the Russian military in the occupied east. Between them would be Ukrainian forces and a demilitarized zone. Kellogg, 80, said a British- and French-led force west of the Dnipro River, which divides Ukraine from north to south and runs through Kiev, would be “not provocative at all” to Moscow. He said Ukraine is a country big enough to house several armies seeking to enforce a ceasefire.
“You could almost make it look like what happened with Berlin after World War II, when you had a Russian zone, a French zone, a British zone, an American zone,” he said.
“You are west of the [Dnieper], which is a major obstacle,” Kellogg said. He later clarified that America would not provide ground troops. He suggested that an 18-mile (about 29 kilometers) demilitarized zone could be established along the existing lines of control to the east. Indirectly, the general’s plan for moving from a ceasefire to a long-term peace agreement involves the U.S. accepting Russia’s de facto control over the land it currently holds. Last month, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, reiterated that the Kremlin would not accept peacekeeping troops from any NATO country “under any circumstances.” Ukraine, which unlike Nazi Germany in 1945 has a functioning, pro-Western government, may find the comparison with postwar Berlin inappropriate, especially since one of Russia’s baseless justifications for its invasion was to “denazify” the country.
The comments provide one of the clearest glimpses of Trump’s vision for Ukraine’s future from those involved in planning the ceasefire. They are also the first suggestion by a senior U.S. official that the Dnipro River could become a dividing line of some kind within Ukraine after a ceasefire, though Kellogg did not suggest surrendering any other territory east of the river to Moscow.
There are clear differences between Kellogg’s proposal and the division of Berlin and Germany after World War II. While Germany was forced to surrender to invading armies, Ukraine would invite allies to provide a “security force” in the country’s west, and there is no suggestion that any other territory would be ceded to Russia. Although the analogy is there, the symbolism of the language is striking just weeks away from the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day). It came as Steven Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for Russia, traveled there on Friday to discuss the armistice agreement, shaking hands with President Putin in St. Petersburg. That same day, Trump increased the pressure on Putin to end the war, writing on his Truth Social platform: “Russia must move. Too many people are dying, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – a war that should not have happened, and would not have happened, if I were President!!!”
The Kremlin warned against expecting any “breakthrough” before the third meeting between Witkoff and Putin. Kellogg acknowledged that Putin, who in recent weeks has disappointed Trump with his unwavering approach to ceasefire talks, “might not accept” the proposal for zones of control. To ensure that Anglo-French and Ukrainian forces, backed by troops from other countries in a “coalition of the willing,” do not exchange fire with the Russians, Kellogg said a buffer zone should be established between the Ukrainian and Russian lines. “You look at a map and create, for lack of a better term, a demilitarized zone [DMZ]. Both sides withdraw by 15 kilometers each, which is 18 miles,” he said.
“And you have a… DMZ that you can monitor, and a no-fire zone. That can be monitored quite easily.” However, he added: “Now, are there going to be violations? Most likely, because they always happen. But your ability to monitor it is easy.” In what is likely to be seen in Kiev and European capitals as an attempt to bring Putin back to the negotiating table, Kellogg said the US supports new elections in Ukraine. Putin has long questioned President Zelensky’s legitimacy to lead, prompting Trump to say last month that he was “really angry” with the Russian’s continued attacks on the Ukrainian leader.
Kellogg said: “I think if a ceasefire is reached, there will be elections. Because now it’s been almost a year since they should have been called. They weren’t called. But I think Zelensky is open to doing that once a ceasefire and a solution is reached. But this is a call for the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian parliament. Not for us.”
Relations between Washington and Kiev are “back on track,” Kellogg said, as evidenced by the resumption of talks on a proposed minerals deal. A technical team of Ukrainian officials arrived in Washington on Friday to discuss the deal, which aims to give America significant access to Ukraine’s vast reserves of critical minerals — such as lithium, titanium and uranium — in exchange for continued American support and investment in the country’s post-war reconstruction. Kellogg acknowledged that U.S. officials had underestimated the complexity of securing the deal. “It’s not a simple yes or no,” he said. “People didn’t understand the process well enough.”
He explained that the Ukrainian parliament, the Rada, had the final say on whether America would have access to the country’s critical minerals. He also added that there was an admission within the Trump administration that “nobody knows” what kind of minerals are accessible in Ukraine or what their value is. “The last time anyone did a geological survey was the Soviets.” Officials visiting Washington will work to resolve these complexities in the coming days and try to turn a “business deal” into a “diplomatic deal,” Kellogg said. Along with Witkoff’s visit, Kellogg described how he and his team were “ready” to reengage with the Kremlin after a month-long hiatus in discussions. “I have a plane ticket with no return date,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued daily airstrikes on Ukraine. Earlier this week, 19 people, including nine children, were killed by a Russian missile in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown. European officials have pointed to the attacks as evidence that the Kremlin is not serious about pursuing peace.
Kellogg said he and the Ukrainians were waiting for Russia to present the latest conditions to move forward with the discussions. “I think we will hear [their demands] soon,” he said. Russia has previously said it wants Ukraine to withdraw from four eastern Regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — and to give up its aspirations for NATO membership. Zelensky has so far rejected the demand to hand over territory.
In Europe, accusations were growing that the Anglo-French coalition was not planning sufficiently for what would happen after the ceasefire in Ukraine. John Healey, the defence secretary, expressed concern at comments by Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief and former leader of Estonia, that plans were not more advanced. She said it was not clear what the purpose of a force inside Ukraine was, and whether it would monitor Russian actions, keep the peace, deter or fight on the ground. “Our planning, for the ‘coalition of the willing’, is real, substantial, well advanced; the European Union is not part of that planning,” Healey said.
At a press conference alongside his German and Ukrainian counterparts, John Healey announced that allies had pledged £18 billion in military aid, a record increase in funding for Kiev. The sum included £350 million pledged by the UK, making a total of £4.5 billion earmarked for Ukraine this year, which Healey said was his country’s largest contribution to date.
Yet in another clear illustration of Trump’s shift toward Western funding for Kiev’s war effort, Kellogg warned Sir Keir Starmer and President Macron not to rely too heavily on American support for the coalition. “Always plan for the worst,” he said. Asked whether the coalition’s security force would be effective, he suggested that Trump would be pleased that Europe was showing more willingness to stand on its own two feet. He said the force would, at the very least, send a good message to Putin. Although Kellogg indicated that America’s involvement in the coalition would be limited, he encouraged Starmer and other European leaders to “pick up the phone” and make their case.
