“The last 10 meters are the hardest”: Kellogg names two unresolved issues regarding Ukraine
7 December 2025 09:12
US Presidential Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg has said that a settlement of the war in Ukraine is “close”, but two key unresolved issues remain: the status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the territories of Donetsk region. Speaking at a forum organized by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in California, Kellogg emphasized that these topics are the final and most difficult points of a possible agreement, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing Axios.
According to him, “the last 10 meters to the goal are the most difficult” and it is the uncertainty around the ZNPP and Donetsk region that prevents the parties from moving to the final stage of agreement. He noted that once these issues are resolved, “the rest will go well.”
“I do believe that we have a few issues left, namely the Donetsk region <...> and Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is a huge nuclear power plant. I think if we resolve these two issues, the rest will work out well,” he said.
The role of Zaporizhzhia NPP
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is the largest in Europe, remains one of the most sensitive topics in the negotiations. The plant has been under Russian control since spring 2022. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly emphasized the need to ensure the safety of the facility and maintain the regime of preventing military actions around it.
IAEA reports regularly state that experts have recorded damage to nearby infrastructure and power outages, but have no confirmation of who is responsible for the shelling.
The plant is included in the Russian power grid and has not been generating electricity for Ukraine since September 2022, as its power units are in a state of cold shutdown. The plant’s facilities are united in the Zaporizhzhia NPP and are under the control of the Russian Federation. The operator is Zaporizhzhya NPP Operating Organization JSC, founded by Rosenergoatom JSC.
Territorial issue
Kellogg mentioned the territory of Donetsk region as the second problematic point. Russia has announced the inclusion of the so-called “DPR” in its membership in 2022. Ukraine, on the other hand, insists on the full restoration of the country’s territorial integrity, including Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
U.S. officials, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have been actively discussing a possible settlement plan in recent weeks, but Washington emphasizes that the territorial issue must be resolved by the parties during negotiations. As Axios reported earlier, the US administration is considering several options for the future status of the territories, but there is no final agreed formula yet.
