Secretary Hegseth declares before NATO that it is not realistic to return Ukraine to pre-war borders

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited NATO headquarters in Brussels and cooled the expectations of U.S. allies.

In a much more direct and transparent style than his predecessor, Hegseth ruled out the deployment of U.S. troops in Ukraine. He also asserted that waiting for Kiev to regain its pre-war borders is unlikely.

He also did not see it as feasible for Ukraine to join NATO as a guarantee that Russia will not re-invade the country.

Europe will not be the Trump administration's priority

At a meeting with Ukraine’s allies, Pentagon chief outlined President Donald Trump's limits and his demands that European countries step up their support for Kiev in its fight against Russian encroachment and increase their defense spending.

"To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine," Hegseth said.

For the U.S. secretary, any peace process must begin with the recognition that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is "an unrealistic objective."

Hegseth stated that "The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement."

The Pentagon chief's speech generated anticipation among U.S. allies, following Trump's criticism that NATO is demanding a drastic increase in defense spending and that he promised to quickly end the conflict in Ukraine upon his return to the White House.

"Safeguarding European security must be an imperative for European members of NATO," Hegseth said. "Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine."

Hegseth stated that "the United States remains committed" to NATO, but "will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship that fosters dependency."