FILE - President Donald Trump, center, sits with retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, right, at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Feb. 20, 2017. President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary is still up in the air, but it’s a sure bet he will look to pick a loyalist following his tumultuous first term. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
President Donald Trump’s envoy has ignited a firestorm among European leaders after revealing they will be excluded from Ukraine-Russia peace talks, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to call for an emergency summit in Paris.
US Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, 80, acknowledged Europe’s stake in the conflict but made it clear they won’t have a final say in the resolution.
“That is not going to happen,” Kellogg said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, urging European leaders to focus on “concrete proposals” instead of complaining about their absence from the negotiating table.
Kellogg justified the US decision, arguing that previous peace talks involved too many countries, leading to a lack of progress. However, European leaders fear that decisions made without their input could have serious consequences for their nations.
Macron, 47, is now gathering European leaders for urgent discussions, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warning, “There is no time to lose.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 47, who also attended the conference, had already warned European leaders that they likely wouldn’t be included in negotiations.
He also issued a strong message to Trump, saying Ukraine “will never accept deals made behind our backs” and insisted that Europe must also have a seat at the table.
Zelensky called for the creation of an armed forces of Europe, arguing that Europe must take responsibility for its own security rather than relying solely on the US.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 53, confirmed that Trump is pushing for a resolution, having spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Rubio, along with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, will travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days for additional high-stakes talks.
Kellogg insists that any peace deal will guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and ensure that a ceasefire is permanent. He expects negotiations to wrap up within weeks or months.
But with European leaders fuming over their exclusion, tensions are running high. Will Trump’s strategy deliver a lasting peace or spark a new diplomatic crisis?
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