Pentagon chief says Ukraine's NATO accession and return to pre-2014 borders are unrealistic
The new US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said on 12 February that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is not a realistic goal, and that the US does not consider NATO membership for Ukraine a realistic outcome of a peaceful settlement of the war.
Source: Hegseth in his speech at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein Group) in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Hegseth said US President Donald Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine through diplomatic means. He stressed that this issue must be viewed from a realistic perspective.
Quote: "We will only end this devastating war and establish a durable peace... with a realistic assessment of the battlefield. We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective."
Details: The Pentagon chief added that pursuing this delusional goal would only prolong the war and suffering.
He said that a lasting peace in Ukraine must be based on strong security guarantees to ensure that the war does not start again: "This must not be Minsk 3.0."
In this context, he said that "the United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement".
Instead, he added, any security guarantees must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.
Quote: "If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers in Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and they should not be covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact."
Details: He added that "there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine" as part of any security guarantee.
Background:
Media reports suggest the new US Defense Secretary will not announce new arms supplies for Ukrainian soldiers at the Ramstein meeting.
The Pentagon chief is expected to reaffirm President Trump's commitment to a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
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