In his first trip abroad, the new U.S. defense secretary told allies, including NATO officials, that a durable peace could only come ‘with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.’

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and the Trump administration does not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the war triggered by Russia's invasion.

The defense secretary's remarks further demonstrated the Trump administration's belief that Ukraine will have to cede territory to negotiate an end to the war.

The Defense secretary's comments at NATO headquarters signal the Trump administration will support stopping Russian efforts in Ukraine — with caveats.

US Secretaru of Defense Pete Hegseth’s purpose of visiting Brussels was to work with NATO allies and partners to discuss boosting “Allied defense spending, increase European leadership

Defense Secretary Hegseth said it was “unrealistic” to aim for a return to Ukraine’s borders as they were before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said Washington would not send peacekeepers to Ukraine as part of post-war security guarantees for Kyiv and dismissed the goal of restoring Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders as “unrealistic.