Trump envoy: Ukraine could be divided like Berlin after Second World War

 

A controversial peace proposal would require Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to surrender control of eastern territories currently held by Russian forces. According to Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, the country could be divided in a manner reminiscent of post-World War II Berlin.

Retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg suggested a partition plan in which Western Ukraine would be overseen by British and French forces, while Russian troops would remain stationed in the east.

“You could almost recreate the arrangement that existed in Berlin after the Second World War, where there was a Russian zone, a French zone, a British zone, and a US zone,” Kellogg told The Times. However, he clarified that under this plan, the United States would not deploy ground troops.

The proposal hinges on Ukraine relinquishing its claim to territories under Russian occupation. President Zelensky has consistently rejected any plan that involves ceding land without NATO security guarantees for the rest of the country.

“Ukraine will never recognize Russian-occupied regions as Russian territory. These are temporary occupations,” Zelensky said in March. “Our land and our values are not for sale.”

Russia, for its part, remains firmly opposed to any NATO guarantees for Ukraine. The Trump administration has also expressed resistance to Ukraine joining the military alliance.

Kellogg, 80, proposed creating a demilitarized buffer zone along the current front lines of the war. “Looking at the map, you could establish a DMZ—take both sides back 15 kilometers, that’s about 18 miles,” he said. “It would be a no-fire zone, one that could be monitored.”

While he acknowledged that violations were likely, he argued that enforcement would be feasible.

Under his proposal, British and French troops would be stationed west of the Dnipro River, which divides Ukraine and runs through Kyiv. Kellogg suggested the river could serve as a natural boundary between the eastern and western zones of control.

Both UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have reportedly expressed willingness to commit peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to help secure its sovereignty against future Russian aggression.

However, Kellogg cautioned that London and Paris should not rely on support from a potential second Trump administration, advising them to “plan for the worst case.”

Despite claiming that his proposal would not provoke Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has previously insisted that NATO troops would not be allowed into Ukraine “under any conditions.”

Meanwhile, another Trump envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited St. Petersburg last Friday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential ceasefire. The Kremlin reported the meeting lasted four hours but played down the likelihood of a breakthrough. A photograph from the meeting showed Witkoff shaking hands with Putin.

That same day, Trump voiced frustration with Russia’s ongoing attacks, as drone and missile strikes continued to target Ukrainian cities.

“Russia has to get moving,” Trump wrote on social media. “Too many people are dying—thousands every week—in a terrible and senseless war.”