Former Trump special envoy Keith Kellogg warned that European nations are moving toward independent action on Ukraine and could leave the United States behind. "If we don't watch out within a year, they are going to go without us," he said, describing a shift in European posture he observed during recent visits to the continent.

Kellogg made the remarks on PBS NewsHour's Compass Points, as "Hvylya" reports, pointing to growing European resolve in the face of what he sees as American hesitation. Hvylya published the full text of the interview.

The retired general said European allies he spoke with during a visit to Cambridge, UK last week are unwilling to take chances on Putin's intentions. "I was just in Cambridge, UK last week. They are not willing to go there," he said, referring to the idea of trusting Russian assurances. He noted that the Europeans share his assessment that Putin harbors ambitions beyond his current territorial gains.

Kellogg argued the war is fundamentally reshaping European security. Ukraine plans to field an army of 800,000 - larger and more battle-hardened than any force in Europe. "The new axis for the West will probably stretch through Poland and Ukraine and down into Romania, as opposed to where it used to be, which is the Baltics, the German countries, and France," he predicted. Multiple European nations have already begun dramatically increasing defense spending - not at Trump's urging, but because they have lost faith in American leadership.

The former envoy also urged European allies to take concrete action against Russia's shadow fleet, which carries illicit oil through the Baltic Sea. "Seventy percent of that comes through the Baltics. You can shut it down if you want to," he told them. Kellogg suggested this economic pressure, combined with tighter sanctions enforcement, could accomplish what military escalation alone cannot.

Asked whether anyone in the current administration brings the kind of Russia-skeptic military perspective he represented, Kellogg said he did not know. He stressed the importance of having "that person in the room that is willing to tell you, no" - someone who will challenge a president's decisions. Whether Trump currently has such a voice on Ukraine, the former envoy could not say. Former officials have warned that without such perspectives, the US risks a strategic blunder with lasting consequences.

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