Brussels (AP) – US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and in sweeping remarks, Kiev suggested abandoning hopes of winning all its territory from Russia and instead preparing for a negotiated peace to support International soldiers.

Hegseth’s strict comments came during the first trip to NATO by a member of the new Trump administration. Allies have been waiting to hear how much continued military and financial support Washington intends to give to Ukrainian government.

What they heard was that President Donald Trump is intended to get Europe to adopt most of the financial and military responsibility for defending Ukraine, including a possible peacekeeping strength that would not include US troops. Hegseth said the strength should not have Article five protection, which may require the US or the 31 nations in the NATO alliance to be helped by these forces if they end up in contact with Russian forces.

Hegseth’s strong message, and his insistence that Russia will hold a territory that Ukraine wants back, is likely to complicate calls later this week between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeleskyny and US Deputy President JD Vance and other older US officials at a major security conference in Munich.

“The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic result of a negotiated solution,” said Hegseth, when Kiev’s supporters gathered at the NATO head office for a meeting to drum up more weapons and ammunition for the war, which will soon enter in its fourth year.

The United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, shakes hand with Britain’s defense secretary John Healey before a bilateral meeting on the sideline for a NATO defense meeting at the NATO head office in Brussels, Wednesday, February 12, 2025 (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)

Photo: Associated Press/Johanna Geron

All 32 allies must agree on a country to join NATO, which means that every member veto.

“Instead, all security guarantees must be supported by capable European and non-European troops,” Hegseth said. “To be clear, as part of all security guarantees, there will be no US troops placed to Ukraine.”

Hegseth insisted that NATO would not play a role in any future military mission to polish the peace in Ukraine and that all peacekeeping troops should not be covered by the part of NATO’s basic treaties that oblige all allies to come to the aid of any member during attack.

Article Five has been activated only once, when European Allies and Canada used the collective security guarantee to help the United States in the wake of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks against New York and Washington.

Hegseth also said that Europe “must give the overwhelming proportion of future deadly and non -—leal support to Ukraine.” Ukraine currently relies equally in Europe and the United States for about 30% each of its defense needs. The rest is produced by Ukraine itself.

He talked about the Allies in Ukraine called Ukraine’s defense contact group and also insisted that Ukraine’s western supporters must abandon the “illusionary goal” to return the country to its borders before 2014 before Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and seized parts of eastern Ukraine.

“Members of this contact group must meet the moment,” Hegseth told the approximately 50 member countries that have supported Ukraine since Russia’s full -scale invasion in 2022.

“We hear you,” said British Defense Secretary John Healey in response to Hegseth’s opening remarks. Both Hegseth and Healey spoke in front of journalists at the top of a closed door session in Brussels to discuss future support for Ukraine.

For almost three years, these 50 countries have collectively provided Ukraine with more than $ 126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including more than $ 66.5 billion from the United States, which has served as chairman of the group since creation.

But the meeting this week was convened by the United Kingdom, and no decision has been made about who can be chairman of the next meeting, if one is called.

Hegseth was not expected to make a announcement about new weapons to Ukraine.

His trip comes less than two weeks before the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion February 24, 2022. Most US allies are afraid that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop at Ukraine’s borders if he wins, and that Europe’s biggest land war in decades poses a existent threat to their security.

Trump has promised to end the war quickly. He has complained that it is costs US taxpayers too much money and suggested that Ukraine would pay for us support with access to its Rare earthen mineralsenergy and other resources.

In its remarks, Hegseth said that the NATO members must also increase defense spending significantly to 5% of their budgets – a high brand that the United States does not currently meet either.

“The United States will no longer tolerate an unbalanced relationship that encourages addiction. Rather, our relationship will prioritize strengthening Europe to its own responsibility for its own security, ”Hegseth said.

European allies have raised their military budgets since Putin ordered their troops to Ukraine, and 23 of them are expected to have reached or exceeded last year’s goal to spend 2% of gross domestic product, but one -third still comes briefly.

Some American allies worry that a rapid business may be dressed in terms that are not favorable to Ukraine.

Before Hegseth spoke, NATO Secretary -General Mark Rutte told The Associated Press that Putin will only negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine if its supporters continue to provide enough weapons and ammunition.

“We have to make sure he has no other alternative, and that means forcing him to the table,” Rutte said. “He must understand that we will not give up Ukraine. We must ensure that we have maximum financial impact on Russia. “

Hegseth’s comments come one day after American history teacher Marc Vogel Returned safely to the United States after three years in a Russian prison. White House suggested that His release can help promote negotiations to end the war.

Trump said another American, someone “very special” would be released Wednesday, even if he refused to name the person or say from which country. The president did not say what the United States replaced the release of Fogel.

___

Copp reported from Washington. Associated Press author Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material must not be published, transmitted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.