US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at a Ukraine Contact Group meeting in Brussels, raised doubts about how Ukraine’s security guarantees should be ensured and whether European and non-European forces should be involved.
“If peacekeeping forces are deployed in Ukraine at some point, this should not be under a NATO mission or within the framework of Article 5 of collective security,” Hegseth stated.
He also emphasized that the US will not send military personnel to Ukraine if peace negotiations fail to yield results.
During his first visit to Europe as Pentagon chief, Hegseth expressed serious doubts about Ukraine’s potential NATO membership after the war, stating:
“The US does not see Ukraine’s accession to NATO as a realistic outcome of diplomatic settlement.”
Furthermore, he acknowledged that allies must recognize the impossibility of Ukraine returning to its pre-2014 borders.
Despite these concerns, Hegseth reaffirmed that the US remains committed to seeking an end to the war and preventing further bloodshed.
