Trump taps retired Gen. Keith Kellogg for Ukraine envoy

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general, to serve as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, he announced Wednesday.

Kellogg served as chief of staff to the National Security Council and national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence during Trump’s first term in office. He will assume the role as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia as it nears the three-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump announced Kellogg as the envoy in a post to social media, writing that he “has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration.”

“He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” the president-elect wrote.

Trump’s return to the White House has raised questions about the future of U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine. The U.S. under President Biden had provided roughly $64.1 billion in military aid since Russia launched its invasion in 2022, and about $66.9 billion in military assistance since Russia initially invaded Ukraine in 2014, according to the State Department.

The president-elect, however, has criticized Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy, calling him in June “the greatest salesman of all time” for pushing for continued U.S. support in Ukraine’s efforts to push back against Russia’s aggression. Trump has claimed he would have the war “settled” before taking office for his second term, and has said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he were president.

Trump and Zelenskyy spoke by phone after the president-elect defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the election earlier this month. Ukraine’s leader said on social media the call was “excellent” and praised his “tremendous campaign” that made his victory possible.

“We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Trump, meanwhile, has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as “savvy” and suggested in February that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” with NATO member countries that failed to meet the alliance’s defense spending targets.

Ret. Gen. H.R. McMaster, who served as Trump’s national security adviser in his first term, told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that the upcoming months are “really critical” in determining the “next phase” of the war in Ukraine.

McMaster, a CBS News contributor, said that Russia and Ukraine are both incentivized to make “as many gains on the battlefield as they can before the new Trump administration comes in” as the two countries seek leverage in negotiations.