One of President Donald Trump’s representatives, retired General Keith Kellogg, suggested a plan to divide Ukraine into different zones, each controlled by a major world power, in an exclusive interview with The Times of London. He stressed this solution could bring an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The proposed partition plan included no US ground forces, the Dnipro River as a natural dividing line, a demilitarized zone of 18 miles, and peace enforced by a “coalition of the willing” nations, led by Anglo-French troops.
Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from four regions and abandon NATO plans, and Zelensky refuses to cede territory.
Kellogg explained in the interview, “We could do it like we did with Berlin after World War II, where there was a Russian, French, British, and American zone.”
The Berlin analogy is seen as symbolically provocative, especially near the 80th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Ukraine might reject comparisons to Nazi Germany, considering Russia’s justification of the war, according to the Times.
Ukraine, Russia might reject plan
Under this idea, the British (UK pledged £4.5 billion in aid to Ukraine) and French troops would be sent to western Ukraine to help keep the peace, while Russian soldiers would stay in the eastern areas they now control.
A special area with no fighting, called a demilitarized zone, would sit in between. Ukrainian troops could be present in that zone.
This suggestion comes shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine should be placed under “external management”—meaning other countries would help run it.
At the same time, a Ukrainian official recently said that Russia offered the West a deal: it would stop the war if the world accepted the land Russia now controls and agreed that Ukraine would not join NATO. The deal also included putting international peacekeepers along the fighting line.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has strongly rejected this idea. He said Ukraine would not give away any of its land to make peace. Kellogg acknowledged Putin might also reject the plan, The Times reported, but he insisted monitoring the demilitarized zone would be feasible. He proposed elections in Ukraine after a ceasefire, noting that this decision lies with Ukrainians.
Another Trump envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday. The Kremlin confirmed that they talked about “issues related to Ukraine” but didn’t share details. Trump publicly pressured Russia to end the war. However, the Kremlin warned not to expect breakthroughs.
The war has now gone on for more than three years. Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine, mostly in the east. Millions have been forced to leave their homes, and many lives have been lost.
It is not yet clear if Kellogg’s plan will go forward, according to the report, but many Ukrainian officials are against it – arguing it would reward Russia for using force and would go against the idea that countries should be free to decide their own future.
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