Ukraine needs new 'Marshall Plan' – Kellogg

U.S. Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg stated that international partners should assist in Ukraine's reconstruction by launching a new "Marshall Plan" for the country.

He said this during a discussion organized by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) initiative and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

Kellogg emphasized the importance of rebuilding Ukraine, recalling how the United States had implemented the Marshall Plan in Europe after the end of World War II. He said he believed the same approach should be applied to Ukraine, though he warned that the task would be extremely challenging.

He noted that the situation was currently very difficult and stressed the need for a ceasefire. Kellogg praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team for their thoughtful and prudent leadership.

The diplomat stressed that a ceasefire could genuinely lead to an end to the war. Speaking as a former soldier, he admitted that he struggled to comprehend the scale of violence currently unfolding in Ukraine, pointing out that the loss of over a million soldiers amounted to industrial-scale killing. He also mentioned that civilians were dying and cities were being destroyed.

To put this into perspective, the retired general recalled that the U.S. Army had withdrawn from Vietnam after losing 68,000 soldiers. He noted that at that time, the U.S. had simply said, "Stop. Just stop."

He noted that Ukraine had now agreed to a ceasefire, but stressed that it had been a unilateral move.

Kellogg placed particular emphasis on the issue of returning Ukrainian children. He stated that U.S. President Donald Trump was deeply concerned about this matter and had insisted in discussions with Zelensky that it must be a point of negotiation with Russia — something to which the Ukrainian leader had agreed.

Addressing Ukrainian military personnel present at the event, Kellogg said that what they were doing today would become legend tomorrow.