He stressed that for the US, Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not now on the table.
“I think that’s a fair concern (on Russia’s part),” Kellogg said.
“As we’ve said, for us, Ukraine joining NATO is not on the table. And we’re not the only country saying that.”
According to him, at least four NATO member states do not support Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance.
“I can probably name four NATO countries, and you need 32 out of 32 to join," US envoy stressed.
"And we’ve seen some say: ‘We’re not too sure about that’.”
At the same time, Kellogg clarified that Russia’s concerns extend beyond Ukraine.
“They’re talking about Georgia. They’re talking about Moldova. They’re obviously talking about Ukraine," he said.
"And we say: ‘Okay, broadly speaking, we can halt NATO expansion that’s approaching your borders.’ These are security issues for them.”
However, Kellogg added that only US President Donald Trump can make the final decision on these matters.
On May 28, Reuters reported, citing sources, that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is demanding written guarantees from Western leaders to halt NATO’s eastern expansion and to lift some sanctions on Russia as conditions for ending the war in Ukraine.
Putin believes the US misled Moscow after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, when US Secretary of State James Baker assured Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 that NATO will not expand eastward. That’s why Putin now insists on a written commitment.
US President Donald Trump earlier doubted on whether Ukraine could ever join NATO. He also echoed Kremlin propaganda narrative, claiming that Ukraine’s desire to join NATO was the reason for the war.