Pentagon chief softens statements on peace terms with Putin, says they are not "red lines"
Pete Hegseth, the new US Secretary of Defense, has stated that his previous remarks about Ukraine's NATO membership being unrealistic did not mean that Ukraine could not join the Alliance in the future.
Breitbart News noted that Hegseth’s recent statement at the meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein group, caused shock and concern in Europe. However, Hegseth clarified that his words should not be seen as "red lines," as he was speaking about the "reality" of the situation.
"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," Hegseth said.
Hegseth emphasised that his statements did not mean 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 said.
He explained that this is simply a recognition that "it’s 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," Hegseth pointed out.
Breitbart News stated that Hegseth also said in the interview that he did not rule out providing nuclear weapons to Ukraine and that, ultimately, this decision depended on US President Donald Trump. However, there was no confirmation of these statements in the text.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that he did not see Ukraine joining NATO due to Russia’s position and blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for "provoking" Moscow into launching its full-scale war.
On 14 February, Reuters, citing a senior official from the new US administration, reported that the US did not rule out Ukraine's future NATO membership.
John Coale, President Donald Trump's deputy Ukraine envoy, when asked by journalists about Ukraine's chances of joining NATO, said that the issue is "still on the table".