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As Ukraine’s allies reaffirm military support amid a dragging war and stalled ceasefire talks, a remark by Donald Trump’s envoy to Kyiv, General Keith Kellogg, has raised eyebrows — and questions — about whether Ukraine could be carved into zones of influence, reminiscent of Berlin after the Second World War.
General Keith Kellogg Suggests Berlin-Style Division of Ukraine
General Keith Kellogg, a key national security aide to former President Donald Trump and his envoy to Kyiv, has drawn parallels between Ukraine’s future and Berlin’s post-WWII division. In an interview with The Times, Kellogg floated the idea of splitting Ukraine into zones controlled by different international forces.
“You could almost make it look like what happened with Berlin after World War Two, when you had a Russian zone, a French zone and a British zone,” Kellogg said. He envisioned British and French troops operating as a “reassurance force” in western Ukraine, Russian troops in the east, and a demilitarised buffer in between — with Ukrainian forces present but without any U.S. boots on the ground.
While the proposal remains speculative, it’s likely to unsettle officials in Kyiv. Ukraine, unlike Nazi Germany in 1945, is a functioning sovereign nation with an elected government.
Moscow Drags Its Feet on Truce Offers Amid General Keith Kellogg Comments
Russia has already dismissed an American-backed proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Even a more limited Black Sea truce agreement reached last month has seen slow progress from Moscow, heightening doubts over the Kremlin’s willingness to negotiate peace in good faith.
The diplomatic stalemate comes despite increasing international efforts to bring both sides to the table. On Friday, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow once again to push for a truce. However, in Brussels, sentiment remained grim.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who co-chaired a Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) meeting with UK Defence Secretary John Healey, said: “Ongoing aggression from Russia meant we must concede peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future.”
Record-Breaking Military Aid Pledged for Ukraine
As military and diplomatic efforts press on, Ukraine’s Western allies pledged a record €21 billion (£18.2 billion) in military aid during Friday’s UDCG meeting.
The UK and Norway jointly announced a £450 million package aimed at boosting Ukraine’s defence capabilities — including radar systems, anti-tank mines, vehicle repairs, and hundreds of thousands of drones.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Healey underlined the urgency: “This UDCG could not meet at a more important time, because 2025 is the critical year for this war in Ukraine, and now is the critical moment in that war.”
He also made a direct appeal to fellow defence ministers: “Our job as defence ministers is to get urgent military aid into the hands of Ukrainian warfighters.”
Trump and Allies Call for Action — But Show Frustration
Even as military aid pours in, frustration is growing over the pace of diplomatic progress. Former President Donald Trump voiced his impatience with Moscow on social media, writing, “Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere (sic) DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!”
Meanwhile, a parallel meeting of the “coalition of the willing” — a smaller group discussing a potential peacekeeping force — highlighted tensions over the role of European powers in any post-ceasefire arrangement.
UK Defence Secretary Counters EU Criticism on Peacekeeping Plans
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas had questioned the clarity of the European peacekeeping proposal, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “If we have such boots on the ground, so what is the goal? Are they monitoring, are they deterring, are they keeping the peace, are they fighting? I mean, what could be the goal? And that’s not really clear.”
In response, Defence Secretary John Healey was assertive, “Our planning is indeed, for the ‘coalition of the willing’, real, substantial, well advanced – the European Union is not part of that planning.”
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