U.S. envoy acknowledges Russia's NATO concerns, Ukraine excluded

• Keith Kellogg, the envoy of the U.S. President, considered Russia's concerns about NATO expansion justified.
• The United States does not plan to include Ukraine in the North Atlantic Alliance.
• The decision to expand NATO requires the consent of all 32 members.

The U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in an interview with ABC Television, addressed Russia's concerns about NATO's eastward expansion. Kellogg stated that these concerns are justified, and the United States does not plan to include Ukraine in the North Atlantic Alliance.

We've said that, to us, Ukraine coming into NATO is not on the table. And we're not the only country that says that. You know, I can probably give you four other countries in NATO, and it takes 32 of the 32 to allow you to come into NATO — Kellogg said, quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda.

Russia is demanding a written commitment that NATO will not expand eastward. The Kremlin is concerned not only about Ukraine but also about Georgia and Moldova.

Trump's envoy announced that the second round of peace talks will take place next week in Istanbul. The meeting will involve national security advisors from the U.S., Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. The goal is to merge the Ukrainian and Russian memorandums on the ceasefire into a single document.

Kellogg reported that President Trump is frustrated with Russia's position, seeing the level of "irrationality" on Vladimir Putin's side. Trump reprimanded Russia for attacking Ukrainian cities and demanded that the Ukrainian delegation attend talks in Turkey.

According to cautious estimates, the number of dead and wounded in Russia's war against Ukraine totals 1.2 million.

That is a stunning number - this is war on an industrial scale — Kellogg assessed.