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Kellogg: Even Putin Admits to Himself That Ukraine Can’t Be Defeated
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russian leader Vladimir Putin likely recognizes that he cannot achieve victory in the war against Ukraine, said Keith Kellogg, the US President’s Special Envoy for Ukraine.
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, Kellogg emphasized that Moscow faces a losing battle in the long term, according to The Guardian on September 30.
Commenting on Russia’s war, Kellogg stated: “I think, deep down, he [Putin] realizes he’s not going to win. It’s a losing fight for him in the long term. It’s not going to happen.”
According to The Guardian, Kellogg underlined that the Kremlin’s options are narrowing, while Ukraine and Western partners remain aligned.
Kellogg also addressed potential NATO responses to Russian aircraft or drones entering Alliance airspace. Drawing on a 2015 incident, when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet, he suggested that such measures can serve as effective deterrence.
“That gets your attention really quick, doesn’t it?” he said, adding that sometimes “you raise what’s called the risk level.” He noted that Russian forces have already been warned about decisive responses to any violations.
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Discussing a possible meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, and Putin, Kellogg argued that negotiations can only follow once Russia faces increased costs.
“Ukraine is already moving in that direction, striking oil refineries and cutting production by about 20%,” he said. He added that secondary sanctions are designed to prevent global buyers from purchasing Russian oil, though some European countries continue imports.
According to Kellogg, depriving Russia of “oil dollars” would create severe financial challenges for the Kremlin. “Right now it all depends on Putin and the level of pain he is willing to accept,” he noted, recalling that Russia has been forced to “bring tanks out of museums” to sustain its war effort.
Earlier, The Moscow Times reported that Russian authorities in St. Petersburg plan to expand the city’s only crematorium into the largest facility of its kind in Europe, with capacity for up to 240 cremations per day amid record battlefield losses in Ukraine.
