 Delegates including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Munich Security Conference, February 14, 2025. (REUTERS) |
President Trump shocked European allies this week by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting them or Kyiv beforehand and declaring an immediate start to peace talks.
Kellogg told a global security conference in Munich that the US would act as an intermediary in the talks, with Ukraine and Russia as the two protagonists.
At a later event at the conference, he sought to reassure Europeans by declaring this did not mean "their interests are not considered, used or developed". Kellogg said that talks aimed at ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could focus on territorial concessions from Russia and targeting Putin's oil revenues.
European leaders said they would not accept being shut out of the talks.
"There's no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine's future or European security structure, without Europeans," Finland's President Alexander Stubb told reporters in Munich, adding that this means Europe needs to get its act together.
France is discussing with its allies the possibility of holding an informal meeting among European leaders on Ukraine to discuss these matters, although nothing has been decided at this stage, a French presidency official said on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv would never accept a deal made behind its back.
He called for the creation of a European army, saying the continent could no longer be sure of protection from the United States and would only get respect from Washington with a strong military.
He said a European army - which would include Ukraine - was necessary so that the continent's future depends only on Europeans - and decisions about Europeans are made in Europe.
