Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world
A return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an “unrealistic objective”, the US defence secretary said on Wednesday, as he poured cold water on the prospect of Nato membership for the country.
Donald Trump has vowed to end the almost three-year-long war as soon as possible, spooking many European Nato allies who fear they will be forced to accept a peace deal not on Ukraine’s terms.
“We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine,” said Pete Hegseth in Brussels. But he added that a return to the country’s borders, before the Russian annexation of Crimea and de facto occupation of the eastern Donbas region, was “an unrealistic objective”.
“Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” he added.
The defence secretary’s comments came at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), a body that co-ordinate arms supplies to Ukraine in Brussels.
The Trump administration’s calls for a speedy end to the Ukraine war mark a big shift from former US president Joe Biden, who committed to funding Kyiv’s war effort while deploying sanctions against the Russian economy.
In a further sign of possible détente with the Kremlin, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow on Tuesday to secure the release of Marc Fogel, a US teacher detained in Russia since 2022.
Kyiv has demanded Nato membership as the ultimate security guarantee against future Russian aggression.
But at the meeting of more than 50 western allies who send military support to Ukraine, Hegseth said: “The United States does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.”
He also ruled out the deployment of US troops in the country after the war with Russia ends.
“Any security guarantee should be backed by capable European and non-European troops,” Hegseth said, adding that troops deployed to Ukraine should be not be part of any Nato mission, nor be covered under the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defence clause.
His comments were met with frustration and disappointment in Kyiv, where senior officials said they would work to find alternative security arrangements with European allies.
Hegseth also repeated rhetoric from Trump that the US needed European allies to spend more on their own defence and stop relying on American support for their security.
“The United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency,” Hegseth added.
But UK defence secretary John Healey said during the meeting that the US would show “continued commitment” to the UDCG.
“It’s a pleasure to be joined by [US defence] secretary [Pete] Hegseth, who confirmed to me this morning the US’s continued commitment to this UDCG,” Healey said.
Trump has previously warned that he could suspend US arms shipments to Ukraine.
Additional reporting by Chris Miller