Elements of long-awaited blueprint to end war will be revealed this weekend as European nations are promised seats at the negotiating table
Brussels Correspondent 10 February 2025
Donald Trump’s administration has paused its peace plan for Ukraine to give Europe a seat at the negotiating table, The Telegraph can disclose.
The US president’s envoy for Ukraine has promised to hold individual talks with Nato allies before finalising the long-awaited blueprint to end the war.
Gen Keith Kellogg said he would seek views on the shape of any peace deal and what governments could contribute to the process in recent talks with European diplomats.
He promised to hold those negotiations with “prime ministers and presidents” from the Nato alliance, in a move that will reassure those who fear being frozen out of the talks by Washington.
At the same time, Gen Kellogg said he would unveil elements of the peace plan at the Munich Security Conference in Germany this weekend.
The Telegraph understands that this will be an offer of continued military support for Kyiv in exchange for access to Ukraine’s rare earth resources.
Europeans who held talks with Gen Kellogg were reassured that Washington wants to strengthen Ukraine’s hand in any future negotiations with Russia, sources familiar with the discussions said.
It had previously been reported that Mr Trump’s Ukraine envoy would present the entire blueprint at the international gathering in the Bavarian state capital, something he later denied.
The US president claimed that he would end the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has been raging for almost three years, 24 hours after he was inaugurated on Jan 20.
But that ambitious timetable slipped when Gen Kellogg was given 100 days to broker a peace deal after he was appointed as Mr Trump’s special representative for Ukraine.
It could yet further be delayed as the envoy schedules meetings with leaders from Nato’s 31 other member states.
There were also signs of disconnect between Mr Trump and his envoy, who was left unaware that the US president had scheduled talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president.
Gen Kellogg privately conceded that he had only found out about the meeting from a television news channel in a meeting with European officials.
It sparked fears that the envoy may not hold enough sway over Mr Trump or even the competence to broker a final deal.
The apparent delays in the peace talks came as Russia signalled that talks with the US had also stalled.
Moscow suggested it was yet to receive any offer that would convince it to come to the negotiating table.
Last weekend, Mr Trump said that he had held talks with Vladimir Putin and the Russian president “wants to see people stop dying”.
But in an interview with the New York Post, the US president refused to say when he had spoken to Putin.
In response, Mikhail Galuzin, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said: “It is important that words be backed up by practical steps that take into account Russia’s legitimate interests, demonstrating a readiness to eradicate the root causes of the crisis and recognise the new realities.
“Concrete proposals have not yet been received.”
Last week, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that talks with Mr Trump’s administration had intensified.
Moscow has previously demanded that Ukraine significantly shrink the size of its armed forces and promise not to join Nato and the European Union as the price for peace.
Mr Zelensky has refused to consider such options because they would leave his country open to another attack by Russian forces.
The pushback from Russia comes on the eve of a major week of diplomacy between the US and its European allies.
JD Vance, the US vice-president, will travel to Germany with Gen Kellogg, where they are expected to meet Mr Zelensky and other European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president.
Meanwhile, Nato will hold its first meeting of defence ministers since Pete Hegseth, who is sceptical of US aid to Ukraine, took over the Pentagon, in Brussels.
Britain will also chair for the first time a meeting of the so-called Ramstein group of more than 50 nations that support Ukraine.
Leadership of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group was handed over to John Healey, the Defence Secretary, after the Americans said the UK should be leading Nato’s effortsin Europe.
It appears at first glance that Kellogg &Co have no plan at all and are going to Europe for ideas. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.
Comment from :
Jonny Dangerous
Squeeze Putin until the pips squeak. He has run out of people and is rapidly running out of money.
Paul Curtin
The Europeans couldn’t agree on what biscuits to have with their coffee at the conference let alone do something constructive.
Lets see what Trump comes up with in the horse trading but don’t take what the EU ditherers do, say or want as meaning anything.
The EU will come out with the usual grand pronouncements that will mean nothing and last about a week in substance.
Alan Parker
Reply to Paul Curtin
Yet the EU has provided a huge amount of aid to Ukraine and then European countries have given individually over and above significant EU contributions. As much as I dislike the EU you do them a disservice.
https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker
Charles Darby
All irrelevant speculation, Putin does not want to end this war until he has subjugated Ukraine and returned it to his sphere of influence like Belarus. In the meantime he is just spinning Trump along, one would hope that the Donald will understand before too long, if he does not already, that his threats of tariffs, sanctions (“buying” Russia would be an interesting one) etc etc will not work on Putin. There must be considerable doubt that Putin would even be phased by any Trump threats to increase military support to Ukraine, if he actually threatens it.
Ruth Nares
Reply to Charles Darby
Putin bound to be alarmed hearing increased military support from US to Ukraine.
Phil Dawes
Reply to Charles Darby
I think that is about right. Putin and comrades are now all in. There can be no backwards step. To maintain power he needs a constant threat and ultimately war. The economy has now been switched to military production. A ceasefire and relaxation of sanctions will allow them quickly to rearm. The next attempt will probably be even more destructive.
Patrick Schrabauer
Putin has no interest in peace. He’s stalling for a maximalist deal to keep his loot. His war machine runs at full steam because the moment he stops, his subservient nation risks collapse, inviting the same brutal reckoning past Russian leaders have faced.
From his view, he sits on a grand throne. From here, he’s at the smallest of kids’ tables, surrounded by pariah states like North Korea and Iran. Regimes that fear their own people and suppress real elections. Pathetic.
Richard Wright
Surprised Trump wants to speak to other NATO countries as the EU just wants to push east with all the neocons that want war, and need someone to blame for their failing economies.
David R Crawford
Reply to Richard Wright
PUTIN wants war (to progress his Greater Russia thesis)
PUTIN’s oligarch pals want war, so they can loot and plunder (Prigozhin confirmed that)
So why did you blame “neocons” who did NOT invade Ukraine with a murderous horde of killers, rapists and torturers (as proven by the Bucha Massacre)?
[We know the reason but not allowed to post it!}
Miss Information
As Putin said ( and Trump retweeted) ‘The EU will stand at the feet of the US President.’
Alan Parker
Reply to Miss Information
Putin just attempting to weaken support for Ukraine by attempting to sow disharmony.
Just about sums up the depths Putin has had to sink to in his attempt to bring an end to his 3 day SMO.
This war has shown more than enough that the West is as disunited as the trash countries are united, and especially that the United States has relinquished its leadership role.
We want to be the leading force on this planet? Not with the collective bimbos we constantly put into office.