Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remarked on potential negotiations to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, stating that “everything is on the table.”
“I want to clarify something regarding NATO membership not being a feasible outcome for negotiations,” Hegseth stated on Thursday during the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels. The previous day, he had mentioned it was “unrealistic” for Ukraine to anticipate NATO membership as part of any peace agreement.
“This is part of my comments here as part of our coordination on how we are managing the ongoing negotiations, which are led by President Trump. All of that said, these negotiations are overseen by President Trump. Everything is on the table.”
On Wednesday, Hegseth not only expressed skepticism about Ukraine’s chances of joining NATO but also remarked that returning to its pre-2014 borders — prior to Russia’s initial invasion and the annexation of Crimea — was not a practical objective for any negotiated settlement. He emphasized this point again on Thursday.
“Simply acknowledging that the borders won’t revert to what many would hope for in 2014 is not yielding to Vladimir Putin,” Hegseth explained. “It’s an acknowledgment of the harsh power realities on the ground after significant investment and sacrifice.”
Biden administration officials have similarly warned against unrealistic expectations for a complete restoration of Ukraine’s territory. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley stated at the start of 2023 that “for this year, it would be exceedingly difficult to militarily remove the Russian forces from all — every inch of Ukraine and Russian-occupied Ukraine.”
Currently, Russia manages around 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. The U.S. and much of the international community do not recognize this annexation.
The ongoing war, which is approaching its third year, has seen hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides. Recent months have favored Russia’s capacity to deploy large numbers of troops on the front lines, allowing for slow but steady advancements in eastern Ukraine.
The Biden administration has provided approximately $66 billion in military equipment and weaponry to Ukraine, while the U.S. government retains about $3.8 billion in presidential drawdown authority to allocate additional arms from current Defense Department reserves to Ukraine.
On Thursday, Hegseth indicated that future assistance to Ukraine, “whether less or more, could also be part of the negotiations.”
“I’m not going to involve myself in those detailed diplomatic discussions,” Hegseth said. “That’s the responsibility of the professionals in the Trump administration who handle diplomacy and negotiations.”
In a recent Fox News interview, Mr. Trump stated that aid to Ukraine could be contingent upon a trade agreement granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
“We’re going to invest this money, and I said I want it back. I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals,” he asserted. “They have effectively agreed to that, so at least we don’t feel foolish.”
