Ukraine needs to survive this winter, and then in the spring it will be able to gain an advantage in the war with Russia, and by July 4 — U.S. Independence Day — achieve peace, believes former U.S. special envoy for Ukraine under President Donald Trump, Keith Kellogg, LETA reports citing INTERFAX-UA.
"I truly believe that if Ukraine survives this winter — January, February — and makes it to March and April, then the advantage will be on your side, on the side of Ukraine," Kellogg stated during a discussion at the Pinchuk Foundation's event "The Role of the U.S. in the World," part of the project "Ukraine: Vanguard of the Future" at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"I hope that by this summer, by Independence Day, peace will come to the land," Kellogg added, emphasizing that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are capable of completely stopping the Russian occupiers.
Retired Lieutenant General Kellogg expressed confidence that Russia will not be able to win the war it has waged against Ukraine.
"He (Putin) measures his progress in meters, not miles. And he is neither in Odessa nor in Kyiv; he has not even moved beyond Donbas (...) he has serious problems. I think that right now Putin does not want to become Nicholas II, the last Russian czar (...) I think he is looking for a dignified way out of this situation. Because he knows he will not win this war," Kellogg stated.
As one of his arguments, Kellogg pointed out that the advanced units of the Russian army have been defeated and have lost more than 20 generals.
"So I hope for a good outcome. I think we are moving, perhaps, to the final stage of peace negotiations, to the development of peace. We have Steve Witkoff, whom I know well, and Jared Kushner, a great negotiator, and they are here in Davos to finalize the negotiations. To find out what Putin's position will be, they will go to Moscow," Kellogg noted.
He also emphasized that the obstacle to progress in negotiations is not Ukraine, but Putin. In his opinion, Putin is afraid to acknowledge the failure of the war he started, as well as the return home of a large number of soldiers, many of whom will be disappointed since they will no longer be able to receive high payments for participation or death in the war.
Speaking about security guarantees for Ukraine, Kellogg noted that they were developed by his team together with Kushner. These guarantees, he said, are quite reliable, and a coalition of goodwill is ready to deploy troops on Ukrainian territory and provide military support.
Kellogg added that after achieving peace, the Ukrainian army will number 800,000 servicemen and become the largest in Europe.
"If they can train such a large army, arm such a large army, then no one will want to fight them. I don't think the Russians will want to do this again. And when they stop the war, it will be very difficult to resume it," he noted.
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