Mr. Trump confirmed that Ukraine will not join NATO.
According to US President Donald Trump, the Pentagon chief's assessment of Kiev's position is "quite accurate".
US President Donald Trump has backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's assessment that Kiev must accept the reality that a return to pre-2014 borders is not possible, and that NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table.
Earlier, speaking before a meeting of the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels on February 12, Hegseth described Kiev's goal of regaining all lost territory as "unrealistic" and stressed the need for Ukraine to prepare for a negotiated peace, possibly with international military support, but not including NATO membership in any agreement.
On February 13, Hegseth dismissed media accusations that the US was “betraying” Ukraine. “It is a cheap political trick to say that we have given up all our negotiating leverage just because we acknowledge some existing realities,” he said.
Asked whether he had asked Hegseth to soften his remarks to retain a “bargaining chip,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House that he had not.
“Some people have told me to do that, but I think his comments yesterday were appropriate. Maybe they were a little softer today, but I think his comments yesterday were pretty accurate,” Mr. Trump asserted.
“I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position would allow them [Ukraine] to join NATO. I don’t think that can happen,” President Trump added, blaming his predecessor Joe Biden for supporting Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.
Moscow has long opposed Ukraine's entry into NATO, viewing the bloc's eastward expansion as a threat to its national security and a key factor in the current conflict with Kiev. The Kremlin has always stressed that Ukraine must remain neutral as part of any future peace deal.
This is not the first time Mr Trump has shown understanding of Russia’s position. Speaking to reporters in Florida last month, he said Moscow’s views on NATO had long been “engrained as an unchangeable principle”.
He reiterated this view after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12 – the first formal contact between the two leaders since Mr. Trump returned to the White House last month.
President Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the same day, immediately after his call with Mr. Putin. However, his decision to discuss a peace plan directly with the Russian leader is said to have left officials in Kiev and Europe feeling sidelined.
The US president announced that he and Mr Putin had agreed to begin talks to end the Ukraine conflict, and said a meeting between the two leaders could take place soon.
After the phone call, the Kremlin confirmed its readiness to engage in peace talks but stressed that addressing the root causes of the conflict would be crucial to any lasting agreement.