Ukraine’s fate deciding talks: Trump envoy says Putin's concerns about NATO expansion are 'valid'

"US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, says NATO's eastward expansion is a 'valid' concern for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

 

Kellogg made the remarks in an interview with ABC News on Thursday, when asked about a Reuters report that Putin had demanded a written commitment from NATO not to admit any more Eastern European countries. That would effectively block Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova from joining the alliance.

 

Trump's special envoy also reiterated that Ukraine's membership in NATO is "not under consideration," adding that Washington and several other member states have similar concerns about Kyiv's membership.

 

“And that’s one of the issues that Russia will raise… They’re talking about Georgia, they’re talking about Moldova, they’re talking about, of course, Ukraine. And we’re saying, okay, let’s address this issue comprehensively,” Kellogg said.

 

Speaking about the Ukraine-Russia talks scheduled for Monday in Turkey, the envoy said they would try to merge two memorandums on ending the war that Ukraine and Russia had prepared into one single document.

 

He said the talks would involve, in addition to Russia and Ukraine, national security advisers from the United States, Germany, France and Britain.

 

Ukraine said on Thursday it was ready to hold further talks with Russia in Istanbul next week, but again demanded that Moscow present a document setting out its peace terms.”