Hegseth suggests way forward for Ukraine is for the country to abandon hopes of a return to its pre-2014 borders.
United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, center, walks with Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey prior to a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. BRUSSELS — U.S.
Hegseth said that Ukraine’s Western backers must abandon the “illusionary goal” of returning the country to its pre-2014 borders, before Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and seized parts of eastern Ukraine. Over nearly three years, around 50 countries have collectively provided Ukraine more than $126 billion in weapons and military assistance. But the meeting this week was convened by another country for the first time: the United Kingdom. All previous gatherings of the forum were chaired by the United States.Hegseth wasn’t expected to make any announcement on new weapons for Ukraine.
“The United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependence, rather our relationship will prioritize empowering Europe to own responsibility for its own security,” Hegseth said. Ukraine’s security needs and defense spending will be discussed on Thursday. European allies have hiked their military budgets since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine, and 23 are estimated to have reached or exceeded last year the target of spending 2% of gross domestic product.
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