Peace between Ukraine and Russia will involve demarcation, which neither side wants – Hegseth. VIDEO
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said that neither Ukraine nor Russia "will get what they want" in the negotiations to end the war.
He said this at a press conference after a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday, Censor.NET reports citing the EP.
Hegseth noted that "realism is an important part of the conversation", which had been lacking before.
"But simply acknowledging reality—for instance, that the borders will not return to what everyone wished them to be in 2014—is not a concession to Vladimir Putin. It is a recognition of the realities of hard power on the ground, after many sacrifices, first by Ukrainians and then by their allies, and an understanding that any negotiated peace will result in a demarcation that neither side desires," the U.S. Secretary of Defense stressed.
He also rejected criticism of Donald Trump's approach, saying that the US president had already made concessions to the Russian dictator.
"The arguments that have been made that the fact that he is now sitting down at the negotiating table are outright concessions to Putin that the president of the United States should not be making... I just reject that," Hegseth said.
The Pentagon chief added that Putin is ready for talks because he responds to force and sees Trump as a strong opponent.
The day before, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that Ukraine's return to the pre-2014 borders, before Russia's invasion of Crimea, was not realistic.
