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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week said that if the U.S. cannot warrant a speedy way toward NATO membership, past determination are alternate information options Kyiv would accept: atomic weapons.
But don't deliberation the United States is anxious to hold to those terms.
"The accidental of them getting their nuclear weapons back is determination betwixt slim and none," retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg, peculiar envoy to Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News Digital. "Let's beryllium honorable astir it, we some cognize that's not going to happen."
In 1994, pursuing the illness of the Soviet Union, Ukraine agreed to springiness Russia its atomic arms successful speech for reassurances from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. that its sovereignty and independency would beryllium respected – a pact Moscow has violated with its repeated invasions – and successful an interview connected Tuesday, Zelenskyy argued that Ukraine should beryllium fixed its arms "back" if a timely NATO rank is disconnected the table.
But Kellogg, the antheral tasked by President Donald Trump to assistance bring an extremity to the three-year war, said rearming Ukraine with atomic weapons is simply a non-starter.
"Remember, the president said we're a authorities of communal sense," helium said. "When idiosyncratic says thing similar that, look astatine the result oregon the potential. That's utilizing your communal sense."
Zelenskyy connected Tuesday confirmed his willingness to conscionable with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face if that is the champion enactment for bringing an extremity to the war, though the Kremlin main has not agreed to immoderate in-person meeting with the Ukrainian leader.
Trump connected Sunday said that archetypal talks had begun with some Ukraine and Russia, and Kellogg this week confirmed that Kyiv and Moscow volition request to marque concessions if determination is going to beryllium a bid deal.
TRUMP'S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY
The medication has been tight-lipped connected what benignant of compromises volition request to beryllium made, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to the biggest hot-button contented for some Zelenskyy and Putin: Ukrainian NATO membership.
Kellogg wouldn’t remark connected wherever Trump lands erstwhile it comes to backing either Ukraine with a rank successful the information confederation oregon Russia successful denying its confederate neighbour entree to the apical coalition.
"That’s 1 of the reasons I’m going adjacent week to Europe, to really spot them face-to-face," helium said. "I tin bring that backmost to the president and say, ‘OK, Mr. President, this is their concern. This is what the issues are.’"
Kellogg is acceptable to question to the Munich Security Conference, which runs Feb. 14-16, wherever helium said helium volition conscionable with satellite leaders to sermon Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine and get a amended thought of wherever nations similar the U.K., Germany and Denmark, on with different apical providers of subject assistance to Ukraine, basal connected negotiations to extremity the war.
"As you make the plans to extremity this carnage, you person to marque definite that you've got the consciousness of everybody successful play," Kellogg said. "Once we get to person these face-to-face discussions, past you tin truly benignant of enactment … connected concessions."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte past period urged member nations to increase their enactment for Ukraine, an contented helium said is vastly important erstwhile it comes to bolstering NATO deterrence successful the look of the Russia, China, North Korea, Iran bloc.
"If we get a atrocious deal, it would lone mean that we volition spot the president of Russia high-fiving with the leaders of North Korea, Iran and China, and we cannot judge that," Rutte said. "That volition beryllium geopolitically a big, a large mistake."
Rutte has urged NATO nations to ramp up defence spending and warned that if Russia comes retired connected apical successful this war, it volition outgo NATO allies "trillions" not "billions."
Kellogg volition besides property NATO allies to summation defence spending and, arsenic directed by Trump, to commencement shouldering the load of the warfare successful Ukraine.
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