In July 2024, Keith Kellogg, who would later become President-elect Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, outlined in an interview with Voice of America an approach to ending the war that reflected Trump's "America First" philosophy. Kellogg emphasized that his proposed plan did not mean Ukraine would surrender or give up territory, distinguishing it from outright capitulation to Russian demands.

Under Kellogg's framework, Ukraine would not be asked to give up its ambition to regain all land seized by Russia, but Kyiv should agree to use diplomatic means only and realize that it might take a long time to regain all of the territories. This formulation allowed Ukraine to maintain its territorial claims without formally recognizing Russian annexations, while acknowledging the practical reality that military reconquest might be infeasible.

The proposal involved freezing the conflict along current front lines, which would leave Russia controlling approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. Kellogg stressed the importance of providing more arms to Ukraine, stating that you have to give more weapons because you cannot trust the Russians, while emphasizing security guarantees, financial support and military support as part of the long game.

Kellogg criticized the Biden administration for being too cautious in supporting Ukraine, blaming the West for not providing F-16s, long-range fires, or permission to strike deep into Russia when they should have. His approach combined continued American military assistance conditional on Ukrainian participation in peace talks with delayed NATO membership for Ukraine in exchange for comprehensive security guarantees. The strategy also proposed partial lifting of sanctions against Russia to incentivize Moscow toward negotiations, with levies on Russian energy imports funding Ukraine's reconstruction.