Defense Secretary Pete Hegses told NATO headquarters allies on Wednesday as President Donald Trump is working to end the war.
Hegus spoke to Belgium's Ukrainian defense contact group, saying, “The harsh strategic reality is that the US focuses on “securing our own borders” and “deterring war with China.” “This will prevent us from focusing primarily on European safety.” In the Pacific Ocean. ”
“President Trump is revealing many of your leaders, and Americans whose top priority is to stop fighting and reach lasting peace,” Hegus said of Ukraine.
“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 continued. “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.”
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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses will speak at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon held in Arlington, Virginia on February 5th. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In early 2014, Russia first invaded Ukraine's Crimea, and before that it annexed the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a larger military conflict with Ukraine in 2022, but this is ongoing.
“Durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war does not start again,” Heggs said Wednesday. “The US does not consider Ukraine's NATO membership to be a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. Instead, security guarantees must be supported by competent and non-European forces. yeah.”
“If these forces are deployed as peacekeepers in Ukraine at any time, they should not be subject to Article 5 and be deployed as part of a non-nat mission. Also, robust international surveillance of contacts “To be clear, there are no US troops deployed in Ukraine as part of the security guarantee.”
Zelenskyy calls the terms of Trump accepted into security partnerships
Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky meets then-President Elect Donald Trump at the Presidential Palace of Elisé in Paris, France on December 7, 2024. (Ukrainian President/handout/Anadoru via Getty Images)
In an interview with Fox News' Brett Byer about the “special report,” Trump said last week there had been “a tremendous progress” when it came to the Ukraine-Russia peace agreement.
“They have very valuable land in terms of rare earth, oil and gas, and other things. We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars, so we want to secure the money,” Trump said in Ukraine. He talked about it. “And you know, they may trade. They may not trade. They may one day be Russian, and they may not be Russian.”
“I told them I wanted something like $500 billion worth of rare earth equivalent, and they essentially agreed to do that. At least we don't think it's stupid. Otherwise we're stupid,” Trump added. “I told them, we have to do, we have to get something. We can't pay this money, you know.
In this week's interview Guardian, Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelenki said, “There are voices saying that Europe can provide security guarantees without Americans, and I've always said no,” and “Without the US, security guarantees aren't real security guarantees. “I say it.
Hegseth also said he is in Brussels today.
“The United States faces a consequential threat to its hometown. We must focus on securing our own borders,” he said. “We also face peer competitors in China with the ability and intention to threaten our Indo-Pacific homeland and our core national interests.”
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses is walking with British Secretary of Defense John Healy before a bilateral meeting on side jobs at the NATO Defense Ministers' Conference, held on Wednesday, February 12th at NATO headquarters in Brussels. (Johanna Geron/Pool Photo via AP)
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“The US prioritizes deterring war with China in the Pacific, recognizes the reality of rarity and trades resources to ensure that deterrents do not fail,” added Hegses. “As the US focuses on these threats, European allies must lead head on.”
