ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump on Saturday limited Keith Kellogg's role from special envoy to Ukraine and Russia to only Ukraine.

Trump, on Truth Social, praised Kellogg as a "Highly Respected Military Expert" who "will deal directly with President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy, and Ukrainian leadership."

"I am deeply honored and humbled by President Trump's confidence in appointing me as Special Envoy to Ukraine," Kellogg said on X.

The move comes as Kellogg was absent from some recent top-level discussions on ending the Ukraine war. This week's US-Russia discussions were instead led by Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

Media reports had claimed Kellogg was excluded from Russia negotiations because Moscow objected to his allegedly pro-Ukrainian stance. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed these allegations.

"It's their decision who to appoint and who not to appoint," Peskov said. "It would be absurd to think that the Russian side could interfere in internal American matters."

Since Trump’s inauguration in January, the US has been actively involved in diplomatic efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine that has been going on for more than three years, engaging in talks with both Kyiv and Moscow.