On May 6, 2025, Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for the conflict in Ukraine, said that Kyiv supports the idea of ​​freezing hostilities along the current contact lines with the creation of a 30-kilometer demilitarized zone (DMZ). Kellogg said this in an interview with Fox News, emphasizing that such a step could become the basis for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks. The statement came amid ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to find ways to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has lasted for more than three years, claiming thousands of lives and causing a humanitarian crisis. However, the proposal has caused a mixed reaction both in Kyiv and on the international stage, raising questions about the future of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

According to Kellogg, the idea of ​​freezing the conflict envisages the cessation of hostilities at the current positions with the creation of a 30 km wide buffer zone separating Russian and Ukrainian forces. He noted that the Dnieper River could serve as a natural barrier behind which European troops could be deployed to ensure compliance with the ceasefire. Kellogg emphasized that the United States does not plan to send its forces to participate in the peacekeeping mission, but is ready to support the initiative with arms supplies and diplomatic efforts. The special envoy expressed confidence that ceasefire violations are possible, but they can be controlled, and a 30-day ceasefire could lay the foundation for long-term peace.

Kellogg’s proposal builds on an earlier plan he outlined in an April 2025 article for The Times, in which he compared a possible partition of Ukraine to Berlin after World War II. He proposed creating zones of responsibility, with Western troops (such as British and French) stationed west of the Dnieper River and Russian forces in the east. Between them would be a demilitarized zone controlled by Ukrainian forces. This has drawn criticism from Kyiv, which rejects any scenario that would involve actual loss of territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said that a “freeze” of the conflict without security guarantees and an invitation to join NATO is unacceptable.