Trump taps Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia

US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated retired general Keith Kellogg — an alum of his first term and a staunch loyalist — as his envoy on Ukraine, charged with ending Kiev's two-and-a-half-year war with Russia.

"I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first administration," Trump said on Wednesday in a statement posted to social media.

Kellogg, 80, a fixture on the cable news circuit, co-wrote an academic paper earlier this year calling for Washington to use military support for Ukraine as leverage to push for peace talks.

"The United States would continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defences to ensure Russia will make no further advances and will not attack again after a ceasefire or peace agreement," the research document for the Trumpist America First Policy Institute think tank said.

"Future American military aid, however, will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia." served in several positions during Trump's first term, including as chief of staff on Trump's national security council and national security advisor to then-vice president Mike Pence.

Kellogg told Voice of America at the Republican convention in July that Ukraine's options were "quite clear."

"If Ukraine doesn't want to negotiate, fine, but then accept the fact that you can have enormous losses in your cities and accept the fact that you will have your children killed, accept the fact that you don't have 130,000 dead, you will have 230,000–250,000," he said.

Biden increase Ukraine aid

Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations.

The Biden administration has begun urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilisation laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18.

The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security support to Ukraine since the start of war in February 2022 and expects to send billions more to Kiev before Biden leaves office in less than months.

Trump has criticised the billions that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine.

Washington has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kiev.

The incoming Republican president has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now controls.