General Kellogg Made A High-profile Statement About Putin's Failure

• 5.02.2026, 10:45

In the long run, time is playing on Ukraine's side.

Aggressor country Russia has not achieved its goals in Ukraine and the Kremlin has reached a stage where it is looking for the "best possible way out" of the war, even as Russian forces continue almost daily attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The former US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, said this in an interview with the Kyiv Independent.

"Putin's notion of victory is not the same as mine. I think he [Putin] has failed. I think Russia has failed," Kellogg said.

In his view, time is "playing into Kiev's hands" in the long term. The next few months could change the balance of power in the war.

"When winter is over and the days get longer, I think it will be better for Ukraine than for Russia in the long run," Kellogg said.

He said he left his White House post at the end of 2025. This was done, among other things, to be able to "speak freely" about Ukraine.

His departure, however, did not mean the end of his work on Ukraine. He has now been given the opportunity to publicly articulate his own position on the war and the state of affairs of Kiev and the Kremlin, without being constrained because of the official line of the administration of current U.S. President Donald Trump. However, there was no disagreement with the Trump administration on the Ukrainian issue for him to leave, Kellogg notes.

The general also does not rule out the information that he may have been removed from the war talks because of the Kremlin's categorical stance, which considered him "too pro-Ukrainian."

"I don't think the Russians necessarily wanted me on that part of the team," Kellogg said.

He also announced his possible return to Kiev in the near future.