US Defense Secretary Hegseth calls Ukraine's return to 2014 borders 'unrealistic'
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth believes that Ukraine needs to recognize the impossibility of returning to the 2014 borders, as this is supposedly an "unrealistic objective," he said during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format, ABC News reports.
Hegseth also called the desire to return to the 2014 borders “chasing this illusionary goal” that “will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.” At the same time, he assured that the United States wants Ukraine to be sovereign and prosperous.
In addition, Washington does not consider Ukraine's membership in NATO a "realistic outcome" of future potential negotiations.
"A durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again. This must not be Minsk 3.0 (...) Any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops," the Pentagon chief believes.
However, he ruled out sending a peacekeeping mission under the NATO flag, in which case NATO's Article 5 would not apply to these troops.
Earlier, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, emphasized that in order to begin negotiations with Russia, it must retreat to positions before the start of the full-scale war. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Kyiv's priority remains the de-occupation of all Ukrainian territories.
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