Keith Kellogg, Trump’s representative in Ukraine, attends an Iranian opposition event in Paris

PARIS – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s new envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, was in Paris on Jan. 11, attending an event by the Paris-based Iranian opposition group the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), according to television footage broadcast by the group.

Retired Lieutenant General Kellogg, who is to become Trump’s special representative to Ukraine and Russia, postponed a trip to European capitals earlier this month before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

General Kellogg was scheduled to speak at the event later.

He has spoken at NCRI events before, most recently in November, but his presence in Paris, even if in a personal capacity, suggests the group is listening to the new US administration.

Incoming US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also spoken at NCRI events in the past. The group has repeatedly called for the downfall of Iran’s existing government, although it is unclear how much support it has inside Iran.

Speaking at the start of the event in Auvers-sur-Oise, the group’s headquarters on the outskirts of Paris, NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi said the regional balance of power had shifted against Iran’s leadership of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. and the “devastating blow” suffered by its most important ally, Hezbollah, is a war with Israel.

“It is time for Western governments to abandon their past policies and this time side with the Iranian people,” she said.

Trump has vowed to put maximum pressure on Iran to force the country to sign a deal on its nuclear, ballistic missile and regional activities.

It remains unclear whether General Kellogg will use his trip to Paris to meet with French officials to discuss Ukraine.

The French presidency, the foreign ministry and Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The NCRI, the political arm of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), holds frequent rallies in France, often attended by senior former US, European and Arab officials critical of the Islamic Republic. Reuters

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