Keith Kellogg, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, stated on 6/12 that two outstanding issues remain for a Ukraine peace deal: the future of the Donbass region, comprising Donetsk and Lugansk provinces, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He made these remarks during the Reagan National Defense Forum held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California.

Kellogg emphasized that the negotiations are in the "final 10 meters", describing this as the most challenging phase. "We are really, really close to the finish line," he affirmed.

He underscored the "horrific" and unprecedented scale of casualties and losses in the Ukraine war, noting its severity for a regional conflict.

Ukraine's President and US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on 14/7. Photo: Reuters

Last month, Washington presented a 28-point plan to end the Ukraine conflict, seeking to persuade Moscow and Kyiv to accept it. The initial proposal suggested Ukraine cede some territory, accept limits on its army size, and cease pursuing NATO membership.

The draft also included provisions for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to restart under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision. Electricity produced would be distributed equally between Russia and Ukraine.

However, this initial proposal faced opposition from Ukraine and European nations. Consequently, some provisions were removed in an updated draft, though its contents have not yet been disclosed.

Currently, Russia controls an area equivalent to over 19% of Ukraine’s pre-2014 territory. This includes the Crimea peninsula, the entire Lugansk province, over 80% of Donetsk province, approximately 75% of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, and small parts of Kharkov, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk provinces.

Ukrainian and Russian officials have not commented on Kellogg's statement.

Hong Hanh (According to Reuters)