WASHINGTON, March 12. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg has been effectively sidelined from the conflict settlement talks, Politico reported.
According to the newspaper, Kellogg, who officially serves as an aide and special envoy to the US president, did not attend the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, held earlier in the day. "His absence there underscores how he’s been sidelined," the newspaper said. This conclusion is backed up by references to "some Trump administration officials," as well as "several Republican foreign policy experts informally advising the president’s team."
"Kellogg’s role is very much in question. It’s not clear why the president won’t make a final call on this. There are already too many principals, plus [national security adviser Mike] Witkoff, trying to play the hero on ending the war. Kellogg is limping along, adding to the confusion about who does what," a US administration official told the newspaper.
The article also said that Kellogg's alleged ouster is seen as increasing the influence of the wing of the US administration that is skeptical of Washington's continued support for Kiev.
However, White House national security spokesman James Hewitt insisted that Kellogg "remains a valued part of the team, especially as it relates to talks with our European allies." "President Trump has utilized the talents of multiple senior administration officials to assist in bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution," Hewitt added.
Meanwhile, a source close to Kellogg said that he often communicates directly with Trump and "that’s who he works for and he doesn’t work for anybody else." The source denied that Kellogg had actually been written off. He attributed such speculation to clan infighting in the Washington bureaucracy. This source also said that Kellogg had the best relationship with Vladimir Zelensky of any US government official.