Membership in the US-led bloc is not a “realistic outcome” of a peace deal, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Ukraine will not be admitted to NATO as part of any ceasefire deal with Russia, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Wednesday. He added that attempting to reassert Ukraine’s 2014 borders is “unrealistic” and that American troops will not be involved in maintaining any settlement.
Kiev has repeatedly insisted that joining NATO is a key security guarantee for the country. Vladimir Zelensky has claimed it to be a prerequisite for resuming negotiations with Moscow. However, NATO never provided a timeline for admitting Ukraine, and multiple officials have briefed media that there is no possibility of membership while a conflict is ongoing.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, Hegseth dismissed the possibility of Ukraine joining the bloc, stating that “the United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.” He stressed that any security guarantees for Ukraine “must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.”
“To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine,” Hegseth emphasized.
His comments come amid US President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to end the conflict. Trump has also expressed skepticism about possible NATO membership for Ukraine, arguing it could escalate tensions with Russia and that European nations should take greater responsibility for their own security.
Moscow, meanwhile, has long opposed Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, calling them one of the main causes of the current conflict. The Kremlin has stated that the bloc’s expansion toward Russia’s borders threatens its security and has insisted that Ukraine must adopt a neutral status as part of any peace agreement. Russian officials have also warned that continued Western military aid to Kiev would only prolong hostilities and complicate negotiations.
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February 12, 2025 at 10:04PM
RT