The United States has received a draft proposal for implementing the ceasefire from Ukraine and is now waiting for the Russian version, US Special Representative for Ukraine, during remarks reported by Vedomosti on May 27.

“We have received everything we need. The facts are sufficient for action. We do not need any more evidence,” Kellogg said he said on Fox News, speaking about recent developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to the diplomat, the Kremlin’s actions – including a devastating missile barrage at the weekend targeting civilians – have given the US a clear mandate to respond with increased pressure on Russia.

Following the first direct meeting between Ukraine and Russia since the war started in Istanbul on May 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would draw up a draft proposal listing its conditions for a lasting peace, which is due to be released this week.

Once the White House has both documents they will coordinate between the two sides. According to the Ukraine envoy, another round of talks will happen afterward.

"There is going to be another meeting, and we believe it will probably be in Geneva," he said. Ukraine’s allies want the meeting before the June meeting of the G7 countries in Canada, the newspaper La Repubblica wrote.

Russia wants to return to Turkey for a second round of talks with Ukraine, Lavrov said during a joint press conference in Moscow with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on May 27. Earlier, Lavrov dismissed the idea of holding negotiations at the Vatican as unrealistic.

Kellogg’s comments come amid mounting calls in Washington and European capitals for a stronger and more decisive response to Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukrainian cities. The EU and US have drawn up proposals for bone-crushing sanctions on Russia which have yet to be imposed while the diplomacy continues. However, reports for the White House suggest that US President Donald Trump is losing patience. The US president was openly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the weekend’s attacks, calling him “crazy.”

US President Donald Trump is a man who doesn't like people standing in the way of his goals, so his recent public emotional outbursts are understandable, given Kiev and Europe's push to sabotage the peace process in Ukraine, Lavrov said the same day.

"He sees some of the Europeans are working to sabotage his efforts [on a peace settlement], pushing Ukraine to absolutely reckless actions, including drone attacks on Moscow, our other towns and even our president’s helicopter,” Lavrov said as cited by TASS. “Of course he gets emotional, and of course, as someone who does not like anything to stand in the way of his noble goals, he looks at it a certain way, shifts rhetoric."

Kellogg also criticised Putin, claiming Moscow has no serious intention of pursuing peace. “Russia is not interested in negotiations. The missile attacks continue. Civilians are dying. What more do we need to understand what kind of regime this is?” he said.

Kellogg previously served as National Security Adviser to former US Vice President Mike Pence and is currently a prominent voice among Republican foreign policy figures shaping Washington’s stance on Ukraine. Vedomosti reports that his statements reflect a broader shift among US officials towards Ukraine after the White House has been criticised for being too soft on Russia since the ceasefire talks kicked off in Riyadh on February 18.

Trump has yet to say if new tough sanctions will be imposed on Russia, but did say that banking sanctions are unlikely to be imposed and that the “nuclear option” of imposing 500% tariffs on any country that does business with Russia, promoted by Senator Lindsey Graham, is also unlikely to be imposed at this stage.

On May 26, The Wall Street Journal reported that may abandon peace efforts altogether if they are not met with genuine cooperation soon.

Kellogg concluded: “We cannot continue to wait. The time for action is now.”