Returning Ukraine to 2014 borders is unrealistic goal - Hegseth
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that Ukraine's return to the borders that existed before 2014, before Russia's invasion of Crimea, is not realistic.
He said this at a meeting of the contact group on Ukraine's defence in Brussels, Censor.NET reports.
According to him, US President Donald Trump seeks to end the war in Ukraine through ‘diplomacy and inviting both Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table’.
The U.S. Department of Defence will help achieve this goal. We, like you, want a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is not a realistic goal," Hegseth said.
In addition, he said that the United States is committed to a sovereign Ukraine, but that NATO membership is not a ‘realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement with Russia’.
‘Chasing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering. Instead, any security guarantees must be backed up by capable European and non-European troops,' added Hegseth.
‘A lasting peace for Ukraine must include credible security guarantees to ensure that war does not break out again,’ the Pentagon chief concluded.
