"We are living in historic times. To the critics, I just say, 'Come on, be quiet and sit in a corner,'", Keith Kellogg, special envoy to President Donald Trump, said on 20/8, referring to the summit between the US and Russian leaders last week.

Special Envoy Kellogg asserted that President Trump had done more to resolve the conflict in Ukraine than his predecessor, Joe Biden, arguing that the former US president "never even spoke to Mr. Putin".

Kellogg criticized the previous administration for outright rejecting the possibility of dialogue with Russia and declaring military support for Ukraine indefinitely. "President Trump is relying on his direct negotiation style and promoting a diplomatic solution," the US special envoy said.

US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg in Brussels, Belgium, on 12/6. Photo: AP

US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg in Brussels, Belgium, on 12/6. Photo: AP

President Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, met face-to-face for over three hours in Alaska on 15/8. The two leaders then held a brief press conference to announce the results of their discussion and left open the possibility of another summit in the future.

Both leaders declared the talks positive, but the summit concluded without any major breakthroughs being announced.

Trump later welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to the White House to discuss ending the conflict. The US president also had a 40-minute phone call with Putin to report on these discussions, and both sides agreed to continue the dialogue.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on 20/8 that Moscow was ready to expand its delegation participating in peace talks with Kyiv, an idea President Putin raised after his call with President Trump.

Ngoc Anh (RT, AFP)