Ukraine’s membership in NATO is unlikely at moment. However, this does not mean that country cannot join Alliance in future, - Hegseth
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth does not rule out Ukraine's membership in NATO in the future.
According to Censor.NET, citing European Pravda, he said this in an interview with Breitbart News.
"I’m not the one that declares a red line or not. I work with the president, as we work through these issues, but we believed that it was useful just to speak some reality into the conversation. Ultimately, President Trump is the only one who’s gonna determine if there’s wiggle room or movement on any particular position," he noted
He stressed that his remarks did not mean that Ukraine could not join NATO in the future.
"I think what I articulated yesterday, in consultation with senior leadership in the White House and the Oval Office of the president, was the reality of the moment — that NATO membership was unlikely considering the realities of where we are. No one’s throwing a stake in the ground for 25 years from now or any defined period of time," he clarified.
He explained it was just a recognition that "if you want if we want a negotiated peace, you want a ceasefire, you want an opportunity for enduring peace, realistically, right now that’s not in the cards — just like going back to the 2014 borders realistically right now is not in the cards".
"That’s not a definitive value statement," the American official said.
As a reminder, Hegseth does not rule out the transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine, but this depends on Donald Trump's decision.
