Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy plans January trip to Kyiv, other European capitals

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Ukraine envoy will journey to Kyiv and several other different European capitals in early January as the subsequent administration tries to carry a swift finish to the Russia-Ukraine battle, in response to two sources with data of the journey’s planning.

Retired Lieutenant-Basic Keith Kellogg, who is about to function Trump’s particular envoy for Ukraine and Russia, isn’t planning to go to Moscow throughout this journey, mentioned the sources, who requested anonymity to debate non-public issues.

As a substitute, he’ll go to senior leaders in Kyiv, and his group is working to arrange conferences with leaders in different European capitals, comparable to Rome and Paris, mentioned the sources. Planning for the journey remains to be being finalized and the itinerary may change, one of many sources warned.

The conferences are anticipated to deal with “fact-finding” on behalf of the incoming Trump administration, relatively than on energetic negotiations, the sources mentioned. Nonetheless, the deliberate journey illustrates the urgency the president-elect has positioned on winding down the battle in Ukraine.

Trump has promised to finish the battle inside 24 hours of taking workplace, if not earlier than. Former intelligence and national-security officers have expressed doubt that such a feat could be completed, partially as a result of Russian President Vladimir Putin might have little cause to return to the negotiating desk, at the least on phrases acceptable to Kyiv.

A consultant for Trump’s transition group didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, nor did representatives of the Ukrainian and Italian embassies in Washington. It was not instantly doable to succeed in a consultant of the French embassy in Washington.