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When President Donald Trump departed Washington for Alaska this morning along with his top aides, there was one critical player who was not on the plane nor planning to meet them in Anchorage: Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
Why won't he be there? Kellogg, a former general who has been the Trump administration's chief negotiator with the Ukrainians, is perceived by the Russian side as sympathetic to Ukraine, which could have made his presence at the meeting "counterproductive," a senior administration official explained.
Kellogg has shared all the information he gathered from his conversations with the Ukrainians with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two senior administration officials said, arguing that his absence was not a major concern.
An official also pointed out that Rubio is also not perceived as soft on Russia, given his previous statements calling Putin a war criminal during his days on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
However, on the other hand, Europeans are concerned about Kellogg's exclusion from the delegation.
“He had hoped to be there and he should be there,” said one European official, adding that it is a loss not to have his deep knowledge. Kellogg has the best understanding of what Ukraine might include in a deal, the official said.
Kellogg is expected to be included in the delegation that will go to any future meetings with the US, Russia and Ukraine, the sources said.
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