Hegseth Says Return to Ukraine’s Pre-War Borders Is ‘Unrealistic’

A return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is “an unrealistic objective” and an “illusionary goal” in the peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia that President Trump wants to accomplish, the U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday at a NATO meeting in Brussels.

In his first meeting with NATO and Ukrainian defense ministers, Mr. Hegseth told them that Mr. Trump “intends to end this war by diplomacy and bringing both Russia and Ukraine to the table.”

But for Ukraine to try to regain all its territory before 2014, as it insists it must do, “will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” Mr. Hegseth said.

“We will only end this devastating war and establish a durable peace by coupling allied strength with a realistic assessment of the battlefield,” he said.

Mr. Hegseth told the meeting that Mr. Trump expected Europe to bear more financial and military responsibility for Ukraine’s defense.

Europe, he said, must take more responsibility for its conventional defense and spend more money on the military, up to 5 percent of national output, as the United States deals with its own security risks and the challenge of China.

Mr. Trump, he added, does not support Ukraine’s membership in NATO as part of a realistic peace plan.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.