U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Feb. 12 that it is unrealistic to expect that Ukraine can restore its 2014 borders in any negotiations with Moscow on ending its war.
Russia invaded Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and annexed Crimea in 2014 following the EuroMaidan Revolution that ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
During a speech at the Ramstein summit, Hegseth said that the U.S. also wants to see Ukraine as "sovereign and prosperous," but that "we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective."
"Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," he added.
Hegseth also said the U.S. does not believe that Ukraine's accession to NATO is a "realistic outcome" of negotiations. The Pentagon chief added that any security guarantees provided to Ukraine must also be "backed by capable European and non-European troops."
"To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine," he said.
Hegseth arrived at the NATO headquarters in Brussels earlier in the day to participate in the Ramstein-format meeting.
As Washington revises its foreign and security policy after President Donald Trump's return to office, the U.K. has taken over the U.S.'s role in chairing the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG).
Ukraine officially applied to join NATO in September 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion. While NATO members pledged at the 2024 Washington Summit that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible," they have yet to extend a formal invitation.
Russian officials, as well as Western intellectuals with a track record of anti-Ukraine narratives have repeatedly cited Ukraine's potential NATO membership as a justification for the invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged opposition from several NATO members, including the U.S., Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia, but expressed hope that Trump could sway support for Kyiv's entry.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
