Defense Secretary Pete Hegses said President Donald Trump's move to negotiate with Russia was “betrayal” during his visit to NATO headquarters in Belgium on Thursday. I stated.
Hegses answered a reporter's question that the US could betray Ukraine after calling about President Trump beginning to negotiate peace without the full involvement of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kiev. .
“There's no betrayal there,” Hegses told reporters. “There is a perception that the whole world and the United States are invested and interested in peace, negotiated peace.”
Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia first invaded its neighbouring countries. Trump has repeatedly said that if he were president in 2022, war would not have erupted.
Putin saw him as a “great competitor,” but he was still seen as an “enemy” as Ukrainian negotiations loomed, Levitt said.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses will speak to the media as he arrives at the NATO Ministers' Meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, February 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
On Wednesday, Trump said there was a “long” call with Putin. This includes the Russian leader agreeing to “quickly” start a war in Ukraine. Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy individually. After consultations with both leaders, Trump said he would “probably” meet Russian leaders in the near future, probably in Saudi Arabia.
In response to another question, Hegses mentioned the phone, pointing to Trump's ability as a negotiator.
NATO Executive Director Mark Latte, Right, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses will be attending a media conference during the NATO Ministers' Meeting held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, February 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
“I think I saw it yesterday from President Trump. He himself was the best negotiator on the planet, and he found peace that was negotiated together, together. “So an honest conversation about where we are. I look forward to NATO allies and ministers today to do so.”
“Let's do it”: Zelenskyy calls Trump's terms accepted into security partnerships
Heggs also said he believes Trump is “one man in the world who can convene political parties together to bring peace.”
During a visit to NATO headquarters on Wednesday, Hegses told allies “returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 border is an unrealistic purpose.”
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“He intends to end this war through diplomacy and bring both Russia and Ukraine to the table, and the US Department of Defense will help achieve this goal,” Hegses said. “We want sovereignty and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by realizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 boundaries is an unrealistic purpose. This fantasy Chasing the goals of the world will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
Emma Colton and Greg Norman of Fox News Digital, along with the Associated Press, contributed to the report.
