Putin must pay the price of war, says Keith Kellogg, Trump’s former envoy to Ukraine

Warsaw. “Putin can end this war tomorrow,” Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s former envoy to Ukraine, tells Il Foglio, attributing responsibility for the conflict unequivocally to the Russian president, whilst Washington is pressing Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and is offering Moscow a deal on diesel. “He can declare victory and go home tomorrow.” Speaking on the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum, Kellogg explains the imbalance in Trump’s approach.

The US president “believes it is much easier to put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky than on Putin”. Kellogg is familiar with the methods and practices used within the White House: a retired Army lieutenant general, he commanded the 82nd Airborne Division and served as National Security Adviser to Vice-President Mike Pence during Trump’s first term; during the second administration, he became Special Envoy for Ukraine, a post he held until December 2025. “President Zelensky is different from Trump, but they both have a very similar attitude. Zelensky wants more, and that is understandable, because he is protecting his people,” explains Kellogg, reflecting on his time as Special Envoy for Ukraine.

Last week, Trump announced a deal with Putin on supplies of Russian diesel, promising more than 300,000 tonnes straight away, with further shipments to follow. The Treasury Department has issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on Russian diesel. Trump presented the deal as a relief for Americans grappling with high fuel prices, ahead of the mid-term elections in November. “I think Trump is playing to a domestic audience. Over a million barrels sounds like a lot. The mid-term elections are approaching,” says Kellogg. According to Reuters, the first shipment amounts to 2.25 million barrels – less than a single day’s diesel consumption by the US transport sector. The announcement gives Trump a deal to showcase to voters, whilst Moscow gains the opportunity to generate revenue from a sector that Ukraine is targeting to weaken Russia’s war economy and increase the costs for Moscow. During his speech on stage at the Forum, Kellogg said, to thunderous applause, that Putin and the Russians must “pay the price” for this war against Ukraine, and if it is necessary to strike all of Russia’s refineries, so be it.

According to press reports, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are said to have raised the possibility of halting intelligence-sharing during talks with Ukrainian officials in Miami, should Kyiv continue to target Russian refineries – for the time being, the Ukrainian government confirms, the sharing continues. They are also said to have told the Ukrainian officials that the diesel deal, in their view, could help soften Moscow’s stance. Kellogg does not believe this approach will yield results. “Don’t trust Putin,” he warns, adding that only the opposite approach can work: “Keep putting pressure on him,” he says.

Zelensky’s resistance reflects what Washington is asking Kyiv to give up. Halting attacks on Russian refineries would mean relinquishing leverage over Moscow, whilst Ukrainian infrastructure remains exposed to Russian bombardment. But the White House had hoped, in the meantime, to deliver a result to the American public, and Kyiv’s refusal has thrown a spanner in the works. “It’s a means of putting pressure on Kyiv,” explains Kellogg. According to some reports, the United States is also discussing the possibility of other deals with Moscow, including a potential reactivation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Regarding these rumours, Kellogg urges caution when judging the Administration’s moves: “Let’s see how it all plays out, rather than reacting to a few comments made this week.”

The general then turns the question back to Europe. The United States’ purchase of Russian oil caused quite a stir, but few have asked why European countries continue to buy Russian energy whilst criticising Trump’s deals with Moscow. Governments calling for tougher pressure on Russia, he says, should apply the same standards to their own purchases: “Why does Europe buy 15 per cent of its liquefied natural gas from Russia? Why? Why can’t it cut it out, reduce it to zero? We, in the United States, have plenty of oil at the moment. We can sell it to you… People get carried away by words that rile them up. I don’t.”