Brussels, Belgium - Pete Hegseth insisted Thursday that President 's plans to negotiate with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over an end to the Ukraine war were "certainly not a betrayal" of Kyiv.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth backed President Donald Trump's plans to negotiate with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over an end to the Ukraine war. © REUTERS
European powers insisted that Ukraine and other countries on the continent must have a seat at the table of any future negotiations.
"There is no betrayal there. There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace," Hegseth said ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
"That will require both sides recognizing things they don't want to."
Trump on Wednesday blindsided Ukraine and Washington's European allies in his first publicly announced phone call with Putin since returning to power.
Hegseth has laid out a string of expectations from Washington to halt the conflict, saying it was not realistic for Ukraine to regain all its land or become a member of NATO.
He has also said that Europe must now start providing the "overwhelming share" of aid to Ukraine and that the US would not deploy troops as a security guarantee under any deal.
In a statement on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of key European powers including Germany, France, Poland, and Britain said "Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations."
Throughout Russia's all-out war on Ukraine, it has been an article of faith for Western powers that there should be no decisions taken on Ukraine's future without Kyiv,
