Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there’s “no betrayal” in the U.S. position on ending the war in Ukraine, as the Trump administration pushes for negotiations between Russia and the neighboring country it invaded nearly three years ago.
In remarks to reporters Thursday at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Hegseth defended his comments from a day earlier, when he said it was “unrealistic” for Ukraine to return to its pre-2014 borders as part of a ceasefire agreement with Russia or to gain NATO membership.
“There is no betrayal there,” Hegseth said Thursday. “There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace, as President Trump has said, stopping the killing, and so that will require both sides recognizing things they don’t want to.”
On Wednesday, Hegseth said it is “unrealistic” to try to return Ukraine’s borders to what they were before 2014 — when Russia annexed Crimea — indicating that the United States will push a negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow to end the war in which Ukraine cedes territory.
Some critics have suggested that Hegseth’s comments may have taken away some of Ukraine’s leverage in negotiations.
“We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,” Hegseth said Wednesday. “Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
Hegseth also said Wednesday, “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.”
Hegseth, on Thursday, said the U.S. is “proud” to be part of a “robust and strong” NATO alliance. He reiterated, however, Trump’s past calls for European NATO members to increase their defense spending, saying, “standing up” to Russia “is an important European responsibility,” adding, “And, of course, the United States has been there for a long time as well.”
“My role as a representative the United States is to speak realistically about the course of that conflict,” Hegseth continued. “And I think you saw from President Trump yesterday, who himself is the best negotiator on the planet, bringing two sides together to find a negotiated peace, which is ultimately what everyone wants.”
Trump spoke Wednesday with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin and made clear in each call that his administration is pushing to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The conflict began in February 2022, when Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Trump also said he expected to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia, though he did not suggest a specific timing for that meeting.
Vice President Vance is expected to meet with Zelensky this week during a trip to Europe for the Munich Security Conference. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was also dispatched to Ukraine to meet with Zelensky as the U.S. pursues a deal for more access to Ukraine’s critical minerals.
