US President Donald Trump is reportedly willing to escalate sanctions against Russia to force an end to the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, according to his special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. Trump had promised to negotiate a solution to the conflict and has given Kellogg 100 days to achieve it, according to reports. Last month, Trump warned of new sanctions if Moscow rejected a still-undetermined solution, but emphasized he was “not out to hurt Russia.”
Kellogg told the New York Post that the current sanctions against Russia are “only a three on a scale of one to ten” in terms of economic pressure. “You can really ratchet up the sanctions – particularly the last sanctions” he said, referring to the EU’s 15th sanctions package targeting Russian oil production and exports.
Kellogg criticized the strategy of former US President Joe Biden, who had pledged to provide Ukraine with help “as long as needed, as much as needed” calling it a “sticker on the back of a car.” “The pressure can’t just be military. You have to use economic pressure, you have to use diplomatic pressure” Kellogg said in reference to Russia, adding, “If someone understands leverage, it’s President Trump.”
Trump’s team has worked hard to end the conflict, Kellogg said and at the end, both Kiev and Moscow will have to give something up to end the killing “on an industrial scale.” Kellogg denied a report by Bloomberg that he would present a peace plan at the Munich Security Conference next week.
Trump has repeatedly said he is ready to speak with Russian President Putin soon to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin had previously said it was waiting for clear signals from the White House. Putin, however, has stated that any talks with Ukraine under the current conditions would be “illegitimate” as a decree by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022 bans talks with Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiha said this week that the government hopes for several meetings with Kellogg and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference. Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that Trump has not yet presented an official plan to end the conflict and added, “Our teams will work together because there can be no separate plan developed without us.” He urged Trump to uphold the principle of “peace through strength” by maintaining US military aid to Kiev and increasing pressure on Russia to force Moscow to consider Ukrainian demands in potential peace talks.