The US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kit Kellogg, said that Ukraine could be divided “almost like Berlin after World War II” as part of the peace agreement.
Kellogg proposed that British and French troops take control of areas in western Ukraine, while the Russian army remains in the east of the country, with Ukrainian and a demilitarized zone between those areas, the Times writes.
Kellogg, who is 80, said that Anglo-French forces on the western side of the Dnieper River, which divides Ukraine from north to south and flows through Kiev, would not act as a “provocation” to Moscow.
He added that Ukraine is large enough to allow the presence of several military armies that would coordinate the ceasefire.
“This could almost look like Berlin after World War II, when there were Russian, French, British and American sectors. The Dnieper is a major obstacle,” Kellogg added, explaining that America would not send ground troops, but proposed the creation of a 28-kilometer-wide demilitarized zone along the existing lines of control in eastern Ukraine.
The Kellogg Plan implicitly recognizes Russia’s “de facto control” over the territories it currently occupies.
He acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin may not accept the proposed division of control zones, but stressed the need to create a buffer zone between the Ukrainian and Russian lines to prevent incidents.
He also said that Ukraine should hold new elections after a ceasefire is reached.
He assessed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is open to holding elections, but that this is a decision that will be made by the Ukrainian people, not by the US.
Kellogg stressed that relations between Washington and Kiev are “back on track,” noting that negotiations on a possible deal on Ukrainian minerals have resumed.