As world hails Ukraine's audacious strike into Russia, Keith Kellogg issues a dire warning

Ukrainian forces targeted air bases as far as 2,700 miles from the front lines.

UPDATED JUN 4, 2025

Russia and the U.S. collectively possess 88% of the world’s nuclear weapons.

Kiev, Ukraine: The risk of escalation in the Ukraine war is "significantly increasing," warned Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, following Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian nuclear bomber bases deep inside Russian territory.

Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces launched Operation Spider Web that targeted air bases as far as 4,300 kilometers (2,700 miles) from the front lines, including locations in Siberia and northern Russia.

Kellogg expressed concern over the strikes, emphasizing their strategic implications. "When you attack a part of the adversary's national survival system, which is the nuclear structure, the level of risk increases because you don’t know how the other side will respond," he told Fox News.

Russia and the U.S. collectively possess 88% of the world’s nuclear weapons, heightening fears of a potential miscalculation.

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While the physical damage to Russian bombers may be limited, Kellogg noted the psychological impact on Moscow could be severe. He also raised alarms over unconfirmed reports of Ukrainian strikes on a Russian naval base.

The White House confirmed that President Trump was not informed in advance of Ukraine’s operations. Meanwhile, Monday’s peace talks between Russia and Ukraine yielded no progress. Kellogg described Ukraine’s stance as "very reasonable," while accusing Russia of maintaining a "maximalist position."

Who is Keith Kelogg?

Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. was born on May 12, 1944 and is a retired United States Army lieutenant general, decorated Vietnam War veteran, and former senior national security official.

He is currently serving as the U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, having been appointed by President Donald Trump to help facilitate peace negotiations in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Commissioned into the Army in 1967, Kellogg served in the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War, where he earned the Silver Star for gallantry in action. He later qualified as a Special Forces officer and served as an adviser to the Cambodian Army.

Kellogg commanded units in several key operations, including Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War, where he was chief of staff of the 82nd Airborne Division.

He rose to command the 82nd Airborne Division and served as Director of Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (J6) for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 attacks. He retired from the Army in 2003 with the rank of lieutenant general.

After military retirement, Kellogg served as Managing Director of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq (2003–2004). He was a foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and later served as Acting National Security Advisor and Chief of Staff to the National Security Council under President Trump. Most recently, he was National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence.