Zelenskyy to meet US envoy after Trump barbs – DW – 02/20/2025

US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday. 

Kellogg arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday, as part of a wider European tour. He has already met with Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, along with other Ukrainian officials. 

“Our meeting with General Kellogg is scheduled for tomorrow, and it is crucial for us that the meeting and our overall cooperation with America be constructive,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Wednesday. “Together with America and Europe, peace can be more secure; and that is our goal. And most importantly — this should not be not only our goal, but a shared one with our partners.”

Zelenskyy said that the third anniversary of the war on February 24 is approaching and “we in Ukraine” wanted the conflict to end “from the very first second.” 

Kellogg’s visit to Ukraine comes as Trump has launched a barrage of insults at Zelenskyy over the past two days.

Trump has falsely claimed that Ukraine “started” the war against it and said that Zelenskyy only has a 4% approval rating. In fact, a recent survey by the Kyiv International Institute found Zelenskyy with a 57% approval rating, whereas the latest Reuters/Ipso poll says Trump only enjoys 44% approval.         

Trump also called Zelenskyy a “dictator” because the country has not held recent elections.

Zelenskyy was democratically elected in 2019 with 73.22% of the total vote, and his term in office was set to end in May 2024.

However, the country has been under martial law since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, meaning that elections are suspended. Zelenskyy has vowed to hold a vote once the “hot phase” of war has settled.     

Trump also said Zelenskyy is doing a “terrible job.” Trump’s attacks come after Zelenskyy said the US president was living in a Russia-created “disinformation space.”