Ukrainians hail Trump envoy Keith Kellogg as ‘St. Kellogg’

US envoy to Ukraine Gen. Keith Kellogg was welcomed to Kyiv with cheers of “St. Kellogg!” over the weekend — as his presence ensured a rare peace, since the Kremlin dare not strike the city with him there.

The special presidential envoy, who US officials say has made remarkable progress in pursuing President Trump’s goal to end the Ukraine war, is so beloved locally that the US embassy had to call in additional security to keep him safe from his hoards of fans during the trip, a source told The Post.

Over the three days that Kellogg was in town, Kyiv’s air-raid sirens fell mostly silent as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin pulled back his attacks on the capital city despite continuing brutal strikes elsewhere in the country.

Ukrainians picked up on the welcome phenomenon, creating memes depicting the envoy as a religious saint protecting the city. Other memes showed Kellogg — whose first name sounds like the Ukrainian word for “cat” — as a feline in cleric’s clothing watching over the city.

It was Kellogg’s third visit to the capital, where he met with the country’s top leadership to discuss Washington’s latest pushes for peace.

Kellogg has played a key role in urging Kyiv to accept Trump’s proposals to help end the war — including his most recent push for a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine has accepted the scenario, but Russia, handled by a different US presidential envoy, is resisting.

”We discussed how we can influence the Russians, compel them to engage in real negotiations and end the war,” Zelensky said Monday of his meeting with Kellogg in Kyiv.

“Sanctions, tariffs — everything must remain on the agenda,” Zelensky said. “We are ready to engage in a format of leaders. … Now, the same readiness is needed from Moscow.”

A US official on Kellogg’s most recent trip to Kyiv told The Post that the top envoy was “absolutely mobbed everywhere we went by ordinary Ukrainian citizens and soldiers” supporting his efforts in helping Trump find an end to Russia’s assault on the country.

“International diplomacy can be personality-driven,” the official said, “In his role as a special envoy, Keith Kellogg stands in the unique position as a Trump loyalist since 2015, holds credibility with both Ukrainian and European leaders alike, and is trusted by soldiers in the field as a brother in arms.

“It puts Kellogg as the man of the moment as the presidents moves to end the largest war since 1945.”

The favorable hoopla comes as insiders say Kellogg has proactively helped bridge the previous gap between Washington and Kyiv, working to settle any hard feelings through diplomacy — particularly after the disastrous public meltdown between Zelensky and Trump at the White House.

”Kellogg is one of the few people in Washington not looking for his next job,” a US source said of the envoy. “Combined with his unswerving loyalty to the president, that gives him the ability to say hard truths when others fear to speak up.”

A longtime Trump supporter, Kellogg served in the president’s first term in office as a national security and foreign policy adviser from start to finish. That loyalty was rewarded when Trump selected him for the envoy role in January.

While he was initially tapped to handle diplomacy on both sides of the Ukraine war, Trump later split the role in two, tasking Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to handle contacts with the Kremlin.

The intensely private Kellogg has kept quiet about his successes in Kyiv. They include Ukraine being willing to agree to Trump’s demand for an unconditional cease-fire for months now in addition to its openness to meeting with Putin.

Ukraine’s stance is a far cry from Moscow’s, which continues to reject the same calls even after Trump delivered them personally to Putin in their summit in Alaska on Aug. 15. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday poured cold water on Trump’s hope that Zelensky and Putin would meet soon, claiming the Ukrainian president is an “illegitimate” leader.

On Sunday, Zelensky awarded Kellogg with the country’s Order of Merit honor for his work pursuing an end to the war during a ceremony marking Ukraine’s Independence Day.

The “saint” also attended Ukraine’s National Prayer Breakfast on Monday alongside one of Trump’s religious supporters, Pastor Mark Burns.

The exceedingly humble Kellogg declined to speak with The Post about his accomplishments for the president, But he gave a statement about the message he shared with Ukrainians at the prayer breakfast.

”As President Trump has repeatedly said, the killing needs to stop,” he said. “If I can help the president stop it, I will do so.

“And our wonderful first lady is extremely protective of kids from all over the world. She wants to see them grow up in innocence, in safety. We, as adults, owe them that.

”My message at the prayer breakfast was — God knows this and sees this,” Kellogg said in his statement. “In Psalm 10:17-18, it is written that, ‘You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.”

As Kellogg left Kyiv on Monday, Ukrainian leaders posted words of thanks to both him and Trump for the visit.

”It’s always such a wonderful thing to see you in Kyiv,” Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kyslytsya wrote on X, referring to Kellogg. “Your hard work brings us closer to the day this unjust war is put to a lasting end. @POTUS couldn’t have made a better choice of this Special Envoy to Ukraine.”

Ukrainian Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal added, “Glad to meet in Kyiv with the U.S. President’s Special Envoy, @generalkellogg.

“Thanked him for visiting Ukraine and for the incredibly strong support from the U.S., which brings us closer to a just peace.

”We discussed preparations for the signing of an agreement between the Presidents of Ukraine and the U.S. concerning drone production and sales—Drone deal. Relevant documents were provided to the American side during the meeting.”