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 negotiated 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 chasing this illusionary goal would only prolong the war and cause more suffering.

He said that a durable peace in Ukraine must be based on robust security guarantees to ensure that the war does not begin 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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