Former US Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, on December 18 gave his opinion on the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov.
Mr. Kirillov was the commander of the Russian Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, killed along with his assistant in an explosion in southeast Moscow on December 17. Explosives were placed on a motorbike parked at the gate of Mr. Kirillov’s apartment building and detonated as the general left the door.
Russia arrested a suspect involved in the assassination of General Kirillov
Russian investigative agencies have arrested an Uzbek suspect believed to have been hired by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out the assassination. According to The Kyiv Independent, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) accepted responsibility and called Mr. Kirillov a war criminal for ordering the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian soldiers. Russia has denied this allegation.
The scene of the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov in Moscow
Mr. Kellogg said that the assassination does not hinder the peace dialogue process between Ukraine and Russia but may violate the rules of war.
“There are rules of war and there are certain things you can’t do. When you kill officers, admirals or generals in their home country, it’s like you’re expanding the conflict and I don’t think that’s the case.” “It’s a smart thing. In my opinion, it’s not a good idea,” Mr. Kellogg said.
According to RT, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned that all NATO decision-making officials from countries supporting Ukraine “can and should be considered official military targets” for Russia. . Comments were made after the sheet The Times of Britain called the assassination of Mr. Kirillov “a legitimate act of self-defense by a threatened country.”
However, Mr. Kellogg confirmed that he will go to Kyiv before Mr. Trump takes office on January 20, 2025 to “find the truth”. Mr. Kellogg was once a supporter of increased military aid to Ukraine. In June, he revealed that he had advised Mr. Trump to use aid to force Russia and Ukraine to sit at the negotiating table.
“We told the Ukrainians that you must sit down and if you don’t, support from America will dry up. And you also told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that he should sit down or we will give give Ukraine everything they need to kill Russian troops on the battlefield,” Mr. Kellogg said.
