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A return to Ukrainian borders before 2014 is an “unrealistic objective,” the US Secretary of Defense said on Wednesday after pouring cold water in the NATO membership perspective for the country.
Donald Trump has pledged to complete the almost three-year war as soon as possible, destroying many European NATO allies who are afraid of being forced to accept a peace deal not in Ukraine conditions.
“We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine,” said Pete Hegseth in Brussels. But he added that a return to the country’s borders, before the Russian annexation of Crimea and the de facto occupation of the East Donba region, was “an unrealistic objective”.
“Following this illusional goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” he added.
Comments of the Secretary of Defense came to a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), a body that co -ordinates weapons supplies for Ukraine in Brussels.
Trump administration calls for a rapid end in the Ukraine war mark a major shift from former US President Joe Biden, who was committed to financing Kyiv’s war efforts while imposing sanctions against the Russian economy.
In a further sign of a possible détente with the Kremlin, Trump Special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled Tuesday to Moscow to secure the release of Marc Fogel, a US teacher in Russia since 2022.
Kyiv has sought NATO membership as a final security guarantee against future Russian aggression.
But in the meeting of more than 50 Western allies sending military support to Ukraine, Hegseth said: “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic result of a negotiated solution.”
He also excluded US troops in the country after the end of the war with Russia.
“Guarantee guarantee of security should be supported by capable European and non-European troops,” Hegseth said, adding that the troops located in Ukraine should not be part of any NATO mission, nor covered under the protection clause mutual alliance.
His comments met with disappointment and disappointment in Kyiv, where senior officials said they would work to find alternative security arrangements with European allies.
Hegseth also reiterated Trump’s rhetoric that the US needed European allies to spend more on their protection and to stop relying on American support for their security.
“The United States will no longer tolerate an unbalanced relationship which encourages dependence,” Hegseth added.
But UK Secretary of Defense John Healey said during the meeting that the US would show “constant commitment” to UDCG.
“It is a pleasure to join the Secretary of the US Protection) (Pete) Hegseth, who confirmed me this morning the continued US commitment to this UDCG,” Healey said.
Trump has previously warned that he could suspend US weapons shipments to Ukraine.
Additional reporting by Chris Miller
