“Like a cage fight”: US envoy Kellog compares Ukraine-Russia war to exhausted fighters, Trump to “referee”

Special Representative of the US President for Ukraine Kit Kellog revealed that upcoming negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia on 24 March will be conducted with the parties in separate rooms. American officials will serve as intermediaries.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly claimed he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, even before taking office. However, on 15 March 2025, Trump admitted that this claim was “a bit sarcastic” and clarified that he meant he would like to settle the war.

So far, Trump used pressure tactics on Ukraine, temporarily suspending US military and intelligence aid to Ukraine to push for negotiation. However, on 11 March, the US agreed to immediately resume aid and intelligence after Ukraine agreed to a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire with Russia.

Critics argue that Trump’s approach may lead to concessions that favor Russia without securing lasting peace.

In an interview with ABC News, Kellog outlined the format for these discussions, describing it as “shuttle diplomacy” where American representatives will move between rooms to facilitate communication.

“They’re going to be proximity discussions, meaning one group’s going to be in this room, the other group in that room. They’ll sit and talk, go back and forth sort of like “shuttle diplomacy” in a hotel. Then we’ll find out where everybody stands,” Kellog said. 

According to Kellog, the US delegation will include Kellog’s assistants, representatives from White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s team, and State Department officials.

Kit Kellog suggested that Ukraine has already made significant concessions in the negotiations, including minerals, nuclear plants, and territory.

“So what is Russia willing to give at this point?” Kellog said.

He compared the current situation to a “cage fight” where both competitors appear ready to “tap out,” with both Ukraine and Russia looking to end the war and viewing President Donald Trump as the potential “referee” who could facilitate this conclusion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian and American diplomats will meet on 24 March.

Zelenskyy noted that while the US will meet with both Ukraine and Russia separately, the meetings will occur in parallel and address the same subject matter.

As determined by Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian negotiating team consists of Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa. This same delegation previously met with US representatives in Saudi Arabia on 11 March.

Previous US-Russia talks 

The last time Russian and US representatives met in 2025 was on 27 February in Istanbul, Türkiye. This meeting was the second round of talks between Russian and US diplomats following their initial meeting in Saudi Arabia earlier in February.

The diplomats focused on discussing the operation of their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington, which meant that Ukraine was not a central topic.

On 18 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone call in which Putin agreed to a 30-day suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure but rejected a complete ceasefire in Ukraine. Despite agreeing to this limited halt, Russia continued launching attacks on Ukraine that same day.

During the conversation, Putin also confirmed a prisoner exchange between the two nations, with 175 prisoners on each side.

Putin also demanded that Ukraine halt its mobilization and military rearmament, particularly by suspending foreign military aid.