Trump envoy in Kyiv as US pledges Patriot missiles
KYIV—US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kyiv on Monday, a senior Ukrainian official said, as anticipation grew over possible changes in the Trump administration’s policies on the more than three-year war.
Trump last week teased that he would make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unbudging stance.
Inflection point
Putin “talks nice and then he bombs everybody,” Trump said late Sunday, as he confirmed the United States is sending Ukraine badly needed US-made Patriot air defense missiles to help it fend off Russia’s intensifying aerial attacks.
A top ally of Trump, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on Sunday that the conflict is nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia’s full-scale invasion. It’s a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money.
Also, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump and other US officials.
