The carnage in Ukraine has led to casualty rates “beyond World War II numbers” as the “industrial-strength killing” rages on the battlefield, the US special envoy for Ukraine lamented Tuesday.
Retired Gen. Keith Kellogg was adamant that negotiations are the sole way to end the bloodshed and that President Trump is the “only guy” who can lead those deliberations.
“President Trump is absolutely right, you’ve got to stop the killing,” Kellogg told “Fox & Friends.” “I call it industrial-strength killing, when you’ve got casualties on both sides that are over 1 million and right now, conservatively, about 1.2 million.
“That is stunning,” he said. “That is beyond World War II numbers.”
Trump has deviated from the Biden administration’s policy toward the war, which was to back Ukraine, instead seeking to position himself as a comparatively more neutral negotiator between the two warring countries.
The president held a roughly two-hour call with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin last week and later said “the tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent” and that the two warring countries would “immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire.”
During the call, the Russians committed to drafting a terms sheet so that the Trump administration could compare and contrast it with the Ukrainians’ demands, according to Kellogg.
But days later, over the weekend, Moscow pummeled Ukraine with more than 300 drones in one of the most brutal attacks of the war, despite a planned prisoner swap taking place around the same time.
Trump hurled rare criticism at the Russian tyrant, telling reporters Sunday that Putin had gone “absolutely crazy” and that he has no idea “what the hell happened to Putin.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,” Trump later fumed on Truth Social Monday. “He has gone absolutely CRAZY!
“He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”
A growing chorus of Republicans in Congress expressed similar outrage at Putin and stepped up demands to slap even more aggressive sanctions on Moscow.
The Kremlin promptly brushed aside Trump’s outrage, with a top rep saying, “We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump” for pushing the peace process.
“Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added.
Kellogg argued that Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine over the weekend was a violation of the 1977 Geneva Protocol, which set standards for international warfighting meant to protect civilian populations.
“Look, [Trump’s] doing a lot, and his frustration tonight is understandable, because what’s happened when you attack cities like that and indiscriminately kill women and children through missile attacks or drone attacks, that’s a clear violation of the 1977 Geneva Protocol, which is designed to prevent that,” Kellogg said.
The retired general noted that Russia, the US and Ukraine have all agreed to the Geneva Protocol and suggested that the Trump administration may have to ramp up pressure on Russia to get changes in its belligerent behavior.
“I think that’s where you have to continually apply some type of pressure to the Russians to get them to the table and make a determination on where they want to be,” he said.
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