Kyiv residents 'can definitely get a good night’s sleep': Zelenskyy jokingly compares US envoy to air defense system

ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday compared US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg to an air defense system, saying Kyiv residents sleep peacefully whenever the retired general visits the capital, according to a statement on Telegram.

“I want to thank General Kellogg especially. Honestly, we didn’t know this before, but it turns out the US has air defenses no worse than the Patriots. When you are in Kyiv, residents can definitely get a good night’s sleep,” Zelenskyy said, joking that he was ready to grant the American envoy citizenship and an apartment.

He stressed that massive Russian attacks halt during Kellogg’s visits. “With representatives from other countries, this doesn’t work,” he said, adding that such influence could even serve as a model for ceasefire efforts.

Zelenskyy said the US envoy’s presence “motivates Russia to stop firing,” contrasting it with past visits by UN, NATO, and IMF leaders that coincided with Russian strikes. He suggested that pressure on Beijing could also be decisive, saying that Russia remains politically and economically dependent on China.

The president reiterated that Ukraine will not hand over land to Moscow in return for peace.

“To give Putin this part or that land of Ukraine so that he stops the war – that will not happen. This is not a solution. This is a pause,” he said.

He underlined that security guarantees for Ukraine are security guarantees for Europe, calling for sanctions, tariffs, and confiscation of Russian assets to continue isolating Moscow.

“We need a guaranteed end of the war, guaranteed security for Ukraine, guaranteed responsibility of Russia for what it has done against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, has visited Kyiv several times this summer. During his latest trip, he discussed security guarantees, pressure on Russia, and the return of abducted Ukrainian children. His Ukrainian Independence Day visit in August also drew attention, as there were no major Russian missile strikes during his stay.