'No betrayal' in Trump move toward Ukraine war negotiations, Hegseth says

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump’s determination toward negotiations with Russia to extremity the warfare with Ukraine was "no betrayal" during a sojourn to NATO office successful Belgium connected Thursday.

Hegseth replied to a reporter’s question astir the U.S. perchance betraying Ukraine aft Trump had a telephone telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin astir opening to negociate bid without Kyiv’s afloat involvement.

"There is nary betrayal there," Hegseth told reporters. "There is simply a designation that the full satellite and the United States is invested and funny successful peace, a negotiated peace."

Russia and Ukraine person been astatine war since February 2022, erstwhile Russia archetypal invaded its neighboring nation. Trump had repeatedly said portion connected the run way that if helium was president successful 2022 the warfare would not person breached retired — vowing to extremity it if re-elected. 

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On Wednesday, Trump said helium had a "lengthy" telephone with Putin, which included the Russian person agreeing to "immediately" statesman negotiations implicit the warfare successful Ukraine. Trump besides spoke with Zelenskyy separately. After talks with some leaders, Trump said helium would "probably" conscionable successful idiosyncratic with the Russian person successful the adjacent term, perchance successful Saudi Arabia.

Responding to a abstracted question, Hegseth referred to the telephone calls and pointed to Trump’s quality arsenic a negotiator.

"I deliberation you saw from President Trump yesterday, who himself is the champion negotiator connected the planet, bringing 2 sides unneurotic to find a negotiated peace, which is yet what everyone wants," helium said. "So I look guardant to the ministerial contiguous with our NATO allies to person honorable conversations astir wherever we are."

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Hegseth besides said helium believes Trump is the "one antheral successful the satellite susceptible of convening the parties unneurotic to bring peace."

During his sojourn to NATO office connected Wednesday, Hegseth told allies that "returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective," arsenic Trump works to bring an extremity to the war.

"He intends to extremity this warfare by diplomacy and bringing some Russia and Ukraine to the table.  And the U.S. Department of Defense volition assistance execute this goal," Hegseth said. "We privation a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we indispensable commencement by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary extremity volition lone prolong the warfare and origin much suffering." 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Greg Norman, on with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.