Amid War of Words, Trump Envoy Meets Ukraine’s Zelensky

The Washington Post

11:44 JST, February 21, 2025

BKYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Donald Trump’s envoy on Thursday, as barbed exchanges between the two leaders deepened uncertainty about the future of U.S. backing for Kyiv.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy on the war in Ukraine, arrived in Kyiv soon after the spat erupted, with Trump describing the Ukrainian president as failing and blaming him for Russia’s 2022 invasion of the country. Zelensky countered that Trump was repeating misinformation about him and the war.

Ukrainian officials appeared to be seeking to calm the waters during Kellogg’s visit Thursday, though it was not immediately clear how his meeting with Zelensky went, as the two did not hold a planned press briefing afterward.

“At the request of the American side, the format of the meeting is for a protocol photo op and does not include statements or questions,” said Serhii Nykyforov, a Ukrainian presidency spokesman.

As the cameras clicked, Zelensky responded to a question about how he was doing by describing himself as in a “fighting spirit.”

Writing on Telegram after the meeting, Zelensky said their conversation was “good … with lots of details.”

“Ukraine is ready for a strong, truly beneficial agreement with the President of the United States on investments and security,” Zelensky wrote, adding that Ukraine had “proposed the fastest and most constructive way to achieve a result. Our team is ready to work 24/7.”

Beyond Ukraine, European leaders rallied behind Kyiv after Trump’s broadside not only angered Ukrainians, but also compounded European alarm over a U.S. president who is rapidly redrawing alliances.

Trump’s latest comments, echoing the Kremlin’s narrative and blaming Ukraine for the war, have reinforced a sense among many Europeans that Washington may one day desert its long-standing allies. Behind the traded insults, there is mounting anxiety about how Trump’s shift from decades of U.S. policy on Russia could transform the transatlantic relationship that has underpinned European security since World War II.

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to visit Trump in Washington on Monday, and will be followed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday.

France and Britain, the only nuclear powers among the Europeans, have been drawing up plans for a “reassurance” force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire deal, a proposal that would require U.S. support, The Washington Post reported. The plan envisions a European force of under 30,000 troops that would not be stationed at any future front line but could help deter Russia from attempts to reignite a full-blown conflict.

Macron will be in Washington to defend European interests and will seek to shape the contours of a “durable peace,” said Benjamin Haddad, France’s minister delegate for Europe.

Macron convened a meeting Wednesday evening as part of his efforts to bring together a crisis coalition of sorts. Leaders of 19 countries, including European allies and Canada, joined mostly by video link.

It was the second urgent meeting this week at the Élysée presidential palace, where the continent’s leaders gathered Monday to forge a consensus on backing Ukraine as U.S.-Russia talks began without Europeans or Ukrainians. European leaders have also sought a coordinated response to bolster their own defenses and to reevaluate relations with the United States, as the Trump administration moves toward direct negotiations with Russia on halting the conflict.

After the meeting, Macron said late Wednesday that France and its partners have “a clear and united position.” He outlined three conditions for a “long-lasting and solid peace”: Ukraine must be included, an agreement must have “robust and credible guarantees,” and Europe’s security concerns “must be taken into account.”

“We stand with Ukraine and will take full responsibility to ensure peace and security in Europe,” Macron said. “We are convinced of the need to increase our defense and security spending and capabilities for Europe and each of our countries.”

The Kremlin, which has demanded Ukraine’s demilitarization, said Thursday that talk of European troops, and particularly from NATO countries, in Ukraine “causes concern for us” and that Moscow is “monitoring this very closely.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned Thursday that “a forced capitulation of Ukraine would mean a capitulation of the whole community of the West … with all the consequences of this fact.”

“And let no one pretend that they don’t see this,” he added.

Trump’s national security adviser Michael Waltz, speaking at the White House briefing, said the president is “very frustrated” with Zelensky, referring to a deal that would give the United States a stake in Ukraine’s natural resources.

“The fact that he hasn’t come to the table, that he hasn’t been willing to take this opportunity that we’ve offered,” Waltz said, adding that he hopes there will be an agreement “very soon.” He declined to say if Russian President Vladimir Putin is a dictator, as Trump described Zelensky, or to ascribe blame for the start of the war in Ukraine. Trump’s “goal here is to bring this war to an end, period,” Waltz said. “And there has been ongoing fighting on both sides.”

While Kyiv rejected a Trump administration request this month to hand over 50 percent of its mineral resources – a demand that could significantly overshadow the value of aid sent to Ukraine – Ukrainian officials had been working on a counterproposal that would still offer Washington more access but would bolster U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, people familiar with the discussions said.

Waltz also pushed back Thursday against concerns that Ukraine was being shut out of negotiations over its own future. “We’ve had plenty of engagement and dialogue,” he said, adding that Kellogg “is literally there right now” and that the administration was consulting with European allies.

In Ukraine, Trump’s insults aimed at Zelensky have triggered a rare show of unity from some of the Ukrainian leader’s fiercest domestic political critics.

Starmer called Zelensky on Wednesday to express support and said it was “perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during wartime,” according to the British prime minister’s office. Elections were supposed to be held in 2024, but Ukrainian law says voting cannot happen during martial law.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store called Trump’s claims “deeply unfounded,” while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described them as “wrong and dangerous.”