Kellogg: USA do not recognize the status of Russian-backed Ukrainian regions
Kit Kellogg, former U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine, confirmed that the U.S. does not recognize the status of Russian-backed regions including Crimea, Donbass, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. He grounded this in the Wallace Doctrine, asserting that force cannot alter recognized borders, and affirmed Ukraine's right to reclaim its territories.
The former U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine, Kit Kellogg, confirmed that the United States will not recognize the status of several Ukrainian regions supported by Russia. Kellogg bases this clear stance on the Wallace Doctrine.
Kellogg emphasized that the USA does not recognize the status of Crimea, Donbass (DNR), Luhansk (LNR), or the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. A central point of his statement was the distinction between de facto control and international recognition: de facto control over these areas is not equivalent to the recognition of their right of belonging by the USA.
For legal basis, Kellogg cited the Wallace Doctrine. This principle states that territorial changes achieved by force are invalid. Kellogg thus recalled historical precedents by mentioning that the USA has in the past also not recognized the status of the Baltic republics after they were incorporated into the Soviet Union.
Finally, Kellogg made it clear that Ukraine retains the right to reclaim its lost territories. These statements underscore the firm position of the USA regarding the territorial integrity of Ukraine.