US President’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said on 6 March that Ukraine has sufficient weaponry to hold out until summer and emphasized that the current situation represents a pause in assistance rather than the end of US support.
This annuncement comes after the US halted military aid and sharing of the intelligence data for Ukraine reportedly to push Ukraine to demonstrates “commitment” to peace negotiations with Russia.
“I think the best way I can describe it is like giving a good slap to a stubborn mule. We got their attention,” Kellogg said during a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
The envoy confirmed the suspension includes halting information sharing about Russian aircraft movements.
President Zelenskyy previously said that Ukraine had been receiving various signals about aid termination for several weeks. There was already a precedent when humanitarian and energy assistance stopped, and military aid paused in late January, though it was quickly restored. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine has prepared for any scenario.
“Is it hard? Of course it’s hard. But it’s not like they didn’t know this would happen. They were honestly warned this would happen. I told them, and they were told last week too,” the special envoy said.
“Let’s be honest. As a military person, I don’t care who you support – Uganda, Rwanda, or anyone else. If you take away such support, it certainly matters. We understand that. But that’s exactly why it was done,” the official said.
He meant the Trump-Zelenskyy controversial meeting on 28 Feb, when it ended up with the cancelation of the signing of the mineral deal.
The special envoy avoided answering how the US plans to pressure Russia to make it more accommodating during negotiations.
Reuters reported ealrier this week that Trump administration developed a plan that could potentially lift some sanctions on Russia as part of broader efforts to improve relations with Moscow and “end the war in Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy announced on 6 March that teams from Ukraine and the US have resumed work and mentioned an upcoming meeting. Ukrainian and the US delegations would reportedly have a meeting next week in Saudi Arabia.
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