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Trump's Ukraine envoy pulls no punches with Europe, says EU might not have place in Russia peace talks

President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia hinted that there might not be a place at the table for Europe during peace negotiations with Russia.

Asked if Europeans had a role in talks between Russia and Ukraine, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said at a security conference in Germany over the weekend that he was "from the school of realism, and that is not going to happen."

The comments come as Trump presses ahead with plans to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia, which includes planned meetings between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia this week.

But European allies might not be included in future talks, Kellogg made clear during his remarks in Munich, arguing that too many voices adds to the risk of derailing negotiations for peace.

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"What we don't want to do is get into a large group discussion," Kellogg said, noting that Trump is pressing to have a deal done within "days and weeks" and not on a longer timetable.

"You got to give us a bit of breathing space and time, but when I say that, I’m not talking six months," he said.

The comments come just a day after Vice President JD Vance ripped into European leaders during a speech at the same conference, arguing that European domestic policies limiting free speech were a bigger threat to the continent than Russia.

"The threat that I worry the most about vis-Γ -vis Europe is not Russia, it's not China. It's not any other external actor," he said. "What I worry about is the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America."

The remarks by U.S. leaders at the conference have left their European counterparts in shock, according to a report from Reuters, which noted that many European delegates were left worrying about continued U.S. military protection of the continent and the details of a deal brokered in Ukraine with little European involvement.

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Speaking to Newsweek, Icelandic Prime Minister KristrΓΊn FrostadΓ³ttir said she was still "trying to decipher" the meaning of Kellogg’s remarks over the weekend, though admitted that she found them a "concern."

"This is about Russia, but this is also about Europe," she said. "It's also difficult for foreign leaders to be reacting constantly to unsure comments."

"We feel like Ukraine has to be at the table, and Europe does, too," she added.

That sentiment was echoed by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who argued that Europe will have to "act more strongly" in response to the U.S. push.

"If Trump is negotiating with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin about Europe, then it is impossible to talk about Europe without us," he told NewsWeek.

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French President Emmanuel Macron responded to the developments by calling on European leaders to convene an emergency meeting in Paris, which is expected to center on U.S. efforts to exclude European countries from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Those expected to be in attendance at the Paris meeting include NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and the leaders of Germany, Italy, the U.K. and Poland, according to a report from the Guardian.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to attend the meetings, though he stressed the importance of keeping the European and U.S. alliance together.

"The U.K. will work to ensure we keep the U.S. and Europe together. We cannot allow any divisions in the alliance to distract from the external enemies we face," Starmer said, according to the Guardian report.

Prospects for a peace deal to end Russia’s nearly three-year-old invasion in Ukraine have seemingly intensified in recent weeks, most notably after Trump held separate phone calls with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

At a later event at the conference, Kellogg made clear that European interests would still be considered at the bargaining table, noting that the U.S. would simply hope to serve as an intermediary in talks between Russia and Ukraine, the two main protagonists in the conflict.

Meanwhile, Rutte urged European leaders to get serious if they hope to be involved in the peace process.

"And to my European friends, I would say, get into the debate, not by complaining that you might, yes or no, be at the table, but by coming up with concrete proposals, ideas, ramp up (defense) spending," the NATO secretary-general said at the conference.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Putin's a 'little bit scared' of Trump as nations begin peace talks, Zelenskyy says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "little bit scared" of President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview that aired Sunday. Β 

Zelenskyy joined NBC's "Meet the Press," recounting that when he spoke to Trump by phone about a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, he told the president that he believes Putin fears the American leader.Β 

"I said that [Putin] is a liar," Zelenskyy recounted of his phone call to Trump. "And he said, 'I think my feeling is that he's ready for these negotiations.' And I said to him, 'No, he's a liar. He doesn't want any peace.'Β 

"But I think he's really a little bit scared about the President Trump. And I think the president has this chance, and he's strong. And I think that really he can push Putin to peace negotiations. Yes, I think so. I think he can, but don't trust him. Don't trust Putin. Don't trust just words about ceasefire," Zelenskyy told NBC's Kristen Welker on "Meet the Press."Β 

Zelenskyy's interview follows Trump announcing last Wednesday that Putin had agreed to "immediately" begin peace negotiations to end the war. Trump tapped Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to lead negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.Β 

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Zelenskyy said during his interview that he trusts Trump's leadership amid negotiations to end the war that has raged between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, but that he won't accept a deal that did not include talks with Ukraine.Β 

"I believe and trust only in real steps. And I trust President Trump because he's the president of the United States, because your people, your people voted for him, and I respect their choice, and I will work with President Trump with trust, which I have to the United States," Zelenskyy told Welker when asked if he feels Trump values Ukraine at the same level as Russia.Β 

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"But of course, I want to have [a] real meeting, productive, without just words, with concrete steps, and to hear us, to hear President Trump, to make a common plan, and to share it with allies, then with Russians, and stop this war. I think we need it urgently. We have to do it without basic things, where there are concrete steps."

Zelenskyy added in his interview that he will not accept any negotiation hashed out by just the U.S. and Russia.

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"I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine. Never.… The war in Ukraine is against us, and it is our human losses. And we are thankful for all the support, unity between USA – in USA around Ukraine support, bipartisan unity, bipartisan support, we're thankful for all of this. But there is no… leader in the world who can really make a deal with Putin without us about us," he said.Β 

Witkoff joined Fox News earlier on Sunday and reported that he and Waltz are heading to Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening to begin negotiations on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.Β 

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