US Special Representative believes Ukraine will have to recognise occupation of some of its territories

US Special Representative to the President of the United States Keith Kellogg believes that Ukraine will have to take into account the realities of the Russian occupation and advised «to look at the situation in the long term».

Kellogg said this in an interview with The Telegraph published on Friday.

During the conversation, he reacted to the latest news about the violation of Polish airspace by 19 Russian drones. The Special Representative called it a deliberate test for the West.

«If everything had happened at the same time, it could have been called an accident. But the six hours of drone flight is a test to see how the West will react,» Keith Kellogg said.

When asked whether he agreed with former US Vice President Mike Pence's statement that if Russia seized Ukraine, it would move on to attack other NATO countries, Keith Kellogg answered in the affirmative.

«Putin and Russia should definitely be seen as an expansionist state. He wants to revive the Russian Empire — just look at history. If you give him an inch, he'll take the whole mile,» the US special envoy added.

He compared the current situation in Ukraine to the period before the Second World War.

«It reminds me of the Second World War. In 1938, in Munich, Hitler said that he only wanted the Sudetenland. Then Rhineland, then Poland, and we ended up in the Second World War. History does not repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes. This is exactly what is happening to Ukraine now. We have to stop Putin now,» the politician said.

Commenting on the criticism of former US President Donald Trump, the Special Representative noted that all the accusations «are unfair».

«Trump is trying to give diplomacy every chance. When he said that he could stop the war in 24 hours, it was for his legacy. He quickly realised that things are more complicated than he expected. Ukrainians are ready to negotiate, but Putin is not,» Kellogg explained.

Regarding the issue of possible territorial concessions to Ukraine, Kellogg stressed that «Trump will not trade Ukrainian lands».

«Any decisions regarding territories belong exclusively to Ukraine. Trump is not selling Ukrainian land — this is Zelenskyy's mandate,» he said.

At the same time, the politician stressed that Ukraine must recognise the realities of the occupation:

«Donetsk is 65 per cent occupied, Luhansk is 98 per cent occupied. We must accept the reality. De facto does not mean de jure. The history with the Baltic States confirms this principle,» the US Special Representative said.

Kellogg advised Ukraine to look to the future, as «the occupied territories may be restored in the long term».

Earlier, Zelenskyy said that Trump's clear position was needed to end the war.