US President, Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine suggested that the country could be divided, similar to Berlin after World War II.
Trump had urged his envoy to “get moving” on a ceasefire to end the “terrible and senseless war.” On Friday, Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy leading negotiations with the Kremlin, met with Putin in St. Petersburg for four hours. Neither Moscow nor Witkoff, who later traveled to Oman for talks with Iran, provided details on the meeting, which did not involve Ukrainian representatives, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s insistence on Ukraine’s involvement.
Zelenskyy, who has rejected any territorial concessions to Russia, may have been disheartened by comments from Trump’s envoy, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg.
In an interview with The Times of London, Kellogg proposed that Ukraine might “look like what happened with Berlin” after WWII. He suggested that British and French forces could serve as a “reassurance force” in the west of Ukraine, while Russian troops could remain in the eastern areas they control. These territories would be separated by Ukrainian forces and a demilitarized zone.
However, Kellogg later clarified his position on social media, stating that he was referring to a “post-ceasefire resiliency force” supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and that he had not suggested partitioning Ukraine. He emphasized that the “zones” he mentioned referred to areas of responsibility for an allied force, not a division of the country.
While Kellogg’s proposal differs from the partition of Germany after WWII, the mention of “zones” could alarm Kyiv, raising concerns that U.S. negotiations might implicitly recognize Russia’s control over occupied Ukrainian territory. Ukraine has consistently rejected any ceasefire or peace agreement that would involve giving up land.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared in March that Moscow would not accept peacekeeping forces from any NATO country.
Suggestions about potential territorial concessions have surfaced before. In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described it as “unrealistic” to expect a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatists in the east. This marks a shift in U.S. policy, with President Biden focusing on a complete Ukrainian victory, while Trump advocates for ending the war swiftly.
As Witkoff arrived in Russia, Trump posted on Truth Social, urging that Russia “get moving” and highlighting the high death toll in the conflict. Meanwhile, on Friday night, Russia launched a large-scale drone attack across Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported that 56 of 88 drones were shot down, and 24 others were redirected using electronic warfare.
In the capital, Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three people were injured in the drone strikes, and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported one additional injury in the city’s northeast.