President-elect Trump’s designated envoy on Ukraine peace negotiations, General Keith Kellogg (ret.), said that Ukraine’s Dec. 17 assassination of Russian Gen.-Lt. Igor Kirillov in Moscow was “not a smart thing to do.” When Fox News asked him today if the assassination was a setback to Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Kellogg replied: “I would say that it’s really a setback [to peace talks], but I would say this: There are rules of warfare, and there are just—kind of—things you don’t do…. When you’re killing flag officers, general officers, admirals or generals, in their hometown, it’s kind of like you’ve extended it, and I don’t think it’s really smart to do. It’s not like the rules of war, as you said.”
Kellogg claimed that both sides are ready to talk, although neither has given a clear direction on when and under what conditions that might happen. Nevertheless, Kellogg expressed confidence that Trump, once in office, would make progress. “President Trump, who made this promise during the campaign, will actually follow through and get this done. He has the right capabilities and the right abilities to do that,” Kellogg said.
