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Ukraine advocates are up successful arms aft Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a instrumentality to the Eastern European country's pre-war borders with Russia is "unrealistic."
Hegseth, speaking to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group successful Belgium connected Wednesday, said "returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective." He besides called for Europe to connection Ukraine information guarantees aft the warfare – not the U.S.
Pro-Ukraine voices accused the caput of giving up leverage earlier the commencement of bid negotiations with Russia.
"Putin is gonna pouch this and inquire for more," Brett Bruen, manager of Global Engagement nether the Obama White House, told Fox News Digital.
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Hegseth said Wednesday that "durable peace" for Ukraine indispensable "ensure that the warfare volition not statesman again."
"The United States does not judge that NATO rank for Ukraine is simply a realistic result of a negotiated settlement. Instead, immoderate information warrant indispensable beryllium backed by susceptible European and non-European troops," helium said.
"If these troops are deployed arsenic peacekeepers to Ukraine astatine immoderate point, they should beryllium deployed arsenic portion of a non-NATO ngo and not covered nether Article 5. There besides indispensable beryllium robust planetary oversight of the enactment of contact. To beryllium clear, arsenic portion of immoderate information guarantee, determination volition not beryllium U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine."
While it is small astonishment the Trump medication does not presently enactment Ukraine’s NATO membership, oregon judge Ukraine tin instrumentality backmost each of its territory including Crimea, Ukraine advocates reason that Hegseth vocalizing these beliefs conscionable arsenic President Donald Trump fired the opening salvo successful bid negotiations took them disconnected the array arsenic leverage.
"Why would you unilaterally surrender connected immoderate of those cardinal strategical issues? Even if Trump yet wants to springiness ground, astatine slightest get thing successful return," Bruen said.
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"Anyone with immoderate diplomatic acquisition would person said it is captious that we usage this arsenic portion of our negotiation, arsenic President Trump wants to person with Moscow. But the thought that we're simply going to denote each of the things that we are not going to bash goes against 70 years of our diplomacy and our subject strategy."
Michael McFaul, ambassador to Russia nether the Obama administration, asked wherefore the Trump medication appeared to beryllium giving Russian President Vladimir Putin wins for free.
"Why is the Trump medication giving Putin gifts – Ukrainian onshore and nary NATO rank for Ukraine – earlier negotiations adjacent begin?" helium asked connected X. "I've negotiated with the Russians. You ne'er springiness up thing to them for free."
Alexander Vindman, erstwhile Europe manager astatine the National Security Council, characterized Hegseth's comments arsenic "complete capitulation to Putin" that justifies Russia's wars of aggression going backmost to Georgia successful 2008.
"This volition embolden Putin and undermine the interests of bid successful Ukraine and Europe. A large stroke to U.S. nationalist security," Vindman said.
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., chimed successful that Hegseth's comments show, "Trump's overseas argumentation has ever been Russia First. Never America and its allies first."
The defence caput besides called connected Europe to "take ownership of accepted information connected the continent."
"European allies indispensable pb from the front," Hegseth said. "Together, we tin found a part of labour that maximize our comparative advantages successful Europe and Pacific, respectively."
His comments came conscionable earlier Trump called some Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and arsenic Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Kyiv.
On Friday, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio volition conscionable with Zelenskyy connected the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The Putin speech came 1 time aft the merchandise of American Marc Fogel, who had been detained by the Kremlin, which Trump said helium saw arsenic a motion of "good faith" by the Russians.
Trump, meanwhile, has begun pressuring Ukrainians to crook implicit entree to uncommon Earth minerals successful speech for information aid. Bessent presented Ukraine with a draught woody exchanging assistance for minerals connected Wednesday successful Kyiv, according to Zelenskyy.
"We agreed to enactment together, precise closely, including visiting each other’s Nations," Trump posted to Truth Social connected Wednesday of his telephone with Putin. "We person besides agreed to person our respective teams commencement negotiations immediately."
He announced that helium would asked Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to pb negotiations.
Trump besides said his telephone with Zelenskyy went "very well."
"It is clip to halt this ridiculous War, wherever determination has been massive, and wholly unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION. God bless the radical of Russia and Ukraine!"
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