“A peace at all costs is not peace at all, it’s surrender, so we have to be very careful about what peace means,” says Meaghan Mobbs, the daughter of Lt. Gen (Ret.) Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Mobbs is the president of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, a charity that has been supporting Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
Following the recent visit of her father, Keith Kellogg, to Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, public attention turned to Meaghan Mobbs. As the head of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, she has played a key role in providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine for at least the past three years.
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“I do think that means ensuring that it is durable and it is just. And what I mean by that is that there have to be security guarantees. I think there has to be the establishment of principles that this won’t happen again. And then I think there has to be justice served,” she said in an exclusive interview with Kyiv Post in Ukraine’s capital on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Mobbs stressed that the West cannot simply look away, as it has “an obligation and a moral authority to call attention” to war crimes and must not view a ceasefire as a definitive solution.
Obligation, moral authority to help Ukraine
Mobbs, who graduated from West Point and became a paratrooper, holds a masters in forensic psychology from George Washington University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Columbia University. She emphasized the need for justice regarding crimes committed during the war, particularly against women and children who were victims of violence, executed prisoners of war, and kidnapped children. She stressed that the West cannot simply look away, as it has “an obligation and a moral authority to call attention to all of those things” and must not view a ceasefire as a definitive solution.
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Mobbs shared that her foundation’s work initially began during the fall of Afghanistan, when they assisted in evacuating Afghans who had cooperated with US forces. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation redirected its efforts, setting up a humanitarian logistics hub in Tulcea, Romania, to provide aid to Ukrainians.
Her motivation, she said, is rooted in shared values and a sense of duty to the Ukrainian people. Mobbs highlighted the deep connection between Ukraine and the West, emphasizing that “we’re all united in our values.”
She described Ukraine as part of Europe, sharing fundamental beliefs in service, sacrifice, family, faith, and community. According to her, being in Ukraine makes it clear how much the two nations have in common.
“The US has to show up for Ukraine… The Ukrainians fought beside us in Iraq. So, I think there’s an obligation there.”
In her view, American support for Ukraine is not just a strategic necessity but a moral obligation.
“The US has to show up for Ukraine in the same way that I imagine Ukraine would show up for the US and has. The Ukrainians fought beside us in Iraq. So, I think there’s an obligation there.”
Can Ukraine and Russia come to terms?
When asked about the possibility of the US and Russia being friends in the future, Mobbs hesitated.
“Oh gosh, I haven’t thought about that. That’s so hard,” she admitted, emphasizing the ongoing war and the suffering it has caused.
“When everything is still so real and people are dying right now, how can we talk about friendship when that’s happening?”
For her, the bigger question is not just about government relations but about whether people can forgive. “Do people forgive? Do Ukrainians forgive? Can you forgive?” she asked, pointing out that many Ukrainians have family and friends in Russia.
However, she stressed that it is ultimately Ukraine that must decide its path: “I don’t know how Ukraine is going to navigate that because ultimately they’re the ones that have to forgive because they weren’t the aggressor, they were aggressed upon, obviously.”
Regarding diplomatic relations, she acknowledged that communication is crucial, even if it is often ineffective.
“I mean, I think that there needs to be communication, right? But obviously, we saw that communication often fails. I think when you have no communication, actually, that’s worse.”
Yet she is adamant that Ukraine must make its own decisions: “I think I’m a firm believer that Ukraine is a sovereign country. They need to determine some of these things for themselves.”
‘I’m my father’s daughter in many different ways’
Speaking about her relationship with her father, Keith Kellogg, Mobbs described their bond as exceptionally strong.
“The first person that held me was my dad,” she recalled. “And it was because of him that I became a paratrooper. It’s because of him that I went to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.”
Despite their close relationship, they do not always see eye to eye. “And I don’t always agree with him. He doesn’t always agree with me. I’m a 38-year-old woman with my own kind of two legs to stand on,” she said.
Nevertheless, they frequently discuss important issues: “But of course we talk about things. I mean, we always talk about everything. I’m my father’s daughter in many different ways. But it doesn’t mean we always agree.”
“I think that there is a responsibility of the West to help inspire hope. We have the right and the duty to do that. And I’m not sure we are right now.”
Transparency for frontline troops
When asked about the current situation at the front lines in Ukraine, Mobbs did not shy away from acknowledging the harsh reality. “It’s hard, right? I think that we have to be realistic. The front is not great right now, it’s extremely difficult… It’s been three years of a full-fledged war,” she said.
She stressed the importance of honesty in assessing the battlefield conditions, believing that those fighting deserve transparency.
“I think we owe it to those that are fighting to be honest about how dire things are on the front,” she added. However, she insisted that this realism should not lead to despair but rather to a stronger commitment to securing a lasting peace.
“I don’t think that means you give up hope. I actually think it’s the opposite. I think in recognizing that, you can get to a place where you can say, this is what that means and why it’s important that we do get to a durable, just peace more quickly, because the ones who are suffering the most are the ones on the front.”
Mobbs also believes that the West has a duty to support Ukraine not just militarily but also morally.
“This is why I do think that there is a responsibility of the West to also help inspire hope. I do think we have the right and the duty to do that. And I’m not sure we are right now, to be honest.”
Mobbs named the Ukrainian people as the country’s greatest strength. “The people are amazing. They’re kind and they’re generous.”
She compared Ukraine’s regional diversity to that of the United States but noted that no matter where she traveled, she encountered the same spirit of resilience.
“Like when you go to the United States, New Yorkers are different than Bostonians, they’re different than Floridians. There’s a difference. But no matter where I go, there is this fighting spirit, this sense of resilience, of boldness, of belief, of confidence. So it’s the people. That’s the best thing about Ukraine.”
Support for Ukraine
Looking ahead, Mobbs made it clear that her work would not stop with Ukraine’s victory. “We’re going to be here, right? After Ukraine’s victory, there’s still going to be a need for things to be done here.”
She stressed that support for Ukraine must continue long after the war ends, especially for those who have sacrificed so much.
“Veterans are going to be so important to be cared for here. There has to be the reintegration of all those fighting back into society. Families are going to need to be cared for, children.”
For Mobbs, Ukraine’s victory would mark the beginning of a new chapter rather than the end of her foundation’s work: “This is not the end of Weatherman. If there is a victory, this is just the beginning.”
Under her leadership, the R.T. Weatherman Foundation has set up a logistics hub on the Romanian-Ukrainian border, delivering over 10,000 pallets of medicine, medical supplies, and aid to more than 70 Ukrainian hospitals and humanitarian organizations. In addition to providing aid, the foundation also evacuates wounded American volunteers fighting in Ukraine to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for specialized treatment and assists in repatriating the remains of fallen US soldiers.
Kyiv Post spoke with Mobbs during the official opening of the “FOR FREEDOM” exhibition, which is now open at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv. The exhibition is dedicated to foreign volunteers who joined the fight for Ukraine’s freedom and showcases the scale of international support – from humanitarian aid to the personal decision to become part of the Ukrainian military.
Mobbs was one of the key figures in bringing the exhibition to life. Her work in veteran support and direct involvement in aiding Ukraine played a crucial role in shaping the exhibition. Through personal stories, photographs, and artifacts, the exhibition tells the stories of individuals who have become symbols of global solidarity in the struggle for freedom.
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