In a news interview on Wednesday, Keith Kellogg was asked whether the United States could accept Moscow’s demand that Ukraine renounce its claims to territories currently under Russian occupation. Kellogg, the U.S. envoy, revealed that he had met with Ukrainian officials in London on April 23, where they agreed to “22 concrete terms” presented by the U.S., including a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire. He called on Moscow to consider and respond to the proposal.
However, Russia has insisted that a full ceasefire would require Ukraine to halt its military mobilization and stop receiving foreign military aid. Moscow has also accused Ukraine of violating both the 30-day “energy truce” brokered by Donald Trump in March and a 30-hour Easter truce agreed upon last month.
President Vladimir Putin has further demanded that Kiev withdraw from territories it still claims but that are currently controlled by Russia.
When asked about these developments, Kellogg responded: “Partially, yes. Look, the Ukrainians, Martha, have already said they’re willing to give up the land—not de jure, not officially and permanently—but de facto, because the Russians actually occupy it. They’ve agreed to that.” He emphasized that Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire based on holding existing positions, saying, “You sit on the ground that you currently hold.”
Following the 2014 U.S.-backed coup in Kiev, Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. In 2022, the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, along with the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, held referendums and moved to align with Russia.
According to Kellogg, Ukraine has agreed to acknowledge Russia’s control over Crimea and the four other regions without formally recognizing Moscow’s sovereignty. The deal proposed by Washington reportedly includes U.S. recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a freeze in hostilities along current frontlines, and tacit acknowledgment of Moscow’s authority over significant parts of the other former Ukrainian regions. Additionally, the agreement would bar Ukraine from joining NATO and initiate a phased rollback of sanctions on Russia.