US Special Representative to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said efforts to reach a peace deal on ending Russia’s war are “in the final stretch,” arguing that negotiations are closer than at any point in the past two years. He made the comments on 6 December at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
Talks involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia have intensified in recent weeks, but progress has been uneven. The most difficult issues remain territorial concessions and Western security guarantees for Ukraine. Both have held up earlier rounds of discussions, with negotiators signaling that neither side has yet found terms it can accept.
Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant cited as main obstacles
Kellogg compared the situation to the “last 10 meters” of a difficult military advance, saying the remaining issues are the toughest. He pointed to disputes over parts of Donetsk Oblast and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as the main obstacles.
He said other elements of a potential agreement could be resolved more easily, but stressed the scale of the war and the need to end it. Kellogg repeated recent remarks from US envoys involved in talks that progress is visible but not complete.
