Kellogg: Issue of non-expansion of NATO, incl Ukraine, is subject of discussion, concern for Russia
Special Envoy of the US President for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, stated that the issue of non-expansion of NATO, including Ukraine, has been repeatedly discussed and is a subject of concern for Russia.
He said this on ABC News in response to a journalist's question whether US President Donald Trump is ready to make a written commitment to the President of the Russian Federation that NATO will not expand.
Kellogg noted that it was a valid concern and that they had talked about it repeatedly. He said that, as they had stated, Ukraine being part of NATO was not on the table, and they were not the only country saying that.
He also emphasized that several NATO member states do not support Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.
He said that he could probably name four NATO countries, and that it took all 32 members to approve a country's entry into NATO. He added that they had seen other countries express uncertainty about that.
Kellogg added that the Russian Federation is raising issues not only regarding Ukraine. Kellogg noted that they were talking about the country of Georgia, Moldova, and obviously Ukraine. He said that they were proposing, in a comprehensive way, to stop NATO expansion from reaching their border, emphasizing that these were security issues for them.
At the same time, he emphasized that the decision on this matter should be made personally by the US President.