In April 2018,Vice President Mike Pence chose Kellogg to serve as his national security advisor.[21][22][23] According to the White House,Kellogg would continue to serve as an assistant to Trump.[24][25]
During the Trump–Ukraine scandal,which led to Trump's impeachment (and subsequent acquittal),Kellogg said he "heard nothing wrong or improper" in Trump's call with the Ukrainian president.[26]
Kellogg was with Trump in the White House as the January 6 United States Capitol attack occurred and defended Pence's decision not to leave the Capitol. While the Secret Service was attempting to get Pence to a safer place,Pence insisted on staying. Kellogg reportedly told then-White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Anthony Ornato,formerly with the Secret Service,why Pence would not evacuate. "You can't do that,Tony. Leave him where he's at. He's got a job to do. I know you guys too well. You'll fly him to Alaska if you have a chance. Don't do it." Kellogg made it clear that Pence would stay,even if he needed to remain all night.[28] Kellogg testified under oath to the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in December 2021 that the president's staff encouraged the president to take immediate action to quell the unrest but that he refused.[29][30]
In June 2024,Kellogg and Frederick H. Fleitz,who had also served on Trump's National Security Council staff,presented Trump with a detailed peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine.[31] The plan proposes a ceasefire on the current front lines,forcing both Russia and Ukraine into peace talks,and continued military aid to Ukraine if it agrees to a ceasefire and peace talks. If Russia did not also agree to a ceasefire and peace talks,the United States would increase arms supplies to Ukraine. Ukraine would not have to formally cede the occupied and annexed territories to Russia,but would postpone its plans for NATO membership for a longer period of time,and the territories currently under Russian occupation would remain under de facto Russian control. Kellogg and Fleitz said their main concern is that the war has devolved into attrition warfare that could wipe out an entire generation of young men in both countries.[32][33]
US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia
In November 2024,President-elect Trump selected Kellogg to be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.[2] Kellogg's nomination was proposed by Republican Party hawks because of his support for Ukraine.[34]
Politico reported that several of his actions caused him to lose the confidence of the White House in February 2025. People close to Donald Trump criticized him for hiring former State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as an advisor,as she was considered too favorable to Ukraine. Keith Kellogg was excluded from a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia on February 18,2025. The White House also criticized him for not objecting to Ukrainian leaders' criticism of the Trump administration during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv at the same time. The White House ordered Kellogg to cancel a press conference scheduled for after the meeting.[34]
On March 15,his role was limited to Special Envoy for Ukraine after Russian complaints.[35]
Personal life
Kellogg married his wife,Paige,in 1980. She is a former U.S. Army officer and paratrooper who served during the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada.[6] Together,they have three children.
First Lieutenant (Infantry) Joseph Keith Kellogg, United States Army, was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action while serving with the 101st Airborne Division during Operation EAGLE THRUST in the Republic of Vietnam. During an air assault, Lieutenant Kellogg pulled a wounded man from a fire line, then went on to attack an enemy bunker system with a machine gun. Running down the line, he destroyed five enemy bunkers with hand grenades. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Action Date: Vietnam War Service: Army Division: 101st Airborne Division
Kellogg's major decorations and badges include:[38]
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