U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and in sweeping remarks suggested that the way forward for Ukraine was for the country to abandon hopes of a return to its pre-2014 borders and prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia B次元官网网址� one that should be backed up with an international force of troops.

Hegseth made the comments Wednesday during the first trip to NATO and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group by a member of the new Trump administration. Allies have been waiting to hear how much continued military and financial support Washington intends to provide to .

What they heard was that President Donald Trump is intent on getting Europe to assume the majority of the financial and military responsibilities for the defense of Ukraine B次元官网网址� to include a possible peacekeeping force that would not include U.S. troops B次元官网网址� and that Hegseth said should not have Article Five protections B次元官网网址� which could call upon the U.S. or the 31 other nations of the NATO alliance to come to the aid of those forces if they end up in contact with Russian forces.

Hegseth said that UkraineB次元官网网址檚 Western backers must abandon the B次元官网网址渋llusionary goalB次元官网网址� of returning the country to its pre-2014 borders, before Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and seized parts of eastern Ukraine.

B次元官网网址淢embers of this contact group must meet the moment,B次元官网网址� Hegseth said to the assembled group pf approximately 50 member countries who have been providing support to Ukraine since RussiaB次元官网网址檚 2022 invasion.

B次元官网网址淲e hear you,B次元官网网址� U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said in response to HegsethB次元官网网址檚 opening remarks. Both Hegseth and Healey spoke in front of the press at the top of what would be a closed door session in Brussels wto discuss future aid to 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.

No decision has been made on who might chair the next meeting, if one is called.

Hegseth wasnB次元官网网址檛 expected to make any announcement on new weapons for Ukraine.

His trip comes less than two weeks before the third anniversary of of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Most U.S. allies fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin wonB次元官网网址檛 stop at UkraineB次元官网网址檚 borders if he wins, and that EuropeB次元官网网址檚 biggest land war in decades poses an existential threat to their security.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to quickly end the war. HeB次元官网网址檚 complained that itB次元官网网址檚 . He has suggested that Ukraine should pay for U.S. support with access to its , energy and other resources. Hegseth in his remarks said that NATO member nations also need to significantly increase defense spending to 5% of their budgets B次元官网网址� a high mark that the U.S. does not presently meet either.

B次元官网网址淭he 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,B次元官网网址� Hegseth said.

Some U.S. allies worry that a hasty deal might be clinched on terms that arenB次元官网网址檛 favorable to Ukraine. On top of that, Trump appears to believe that European countries should for UkraineB次元官网网址檚 security going forward.

NATO is founded on that an attack on any ally must be considered an attack on them all and met with a collective response. Membership is considered to be the ultimate security guarantee, and itB次元官网网址檚 one that Ukraine is trying to secure.

UkraineB次元官网网址檚 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.

However, a third of members still havenB次元官网网址檛 reached that threshold, and Trump is almost certain to . Recently, Trump called for NATO members to of GDP, a level that no member has reached so far B次元官网网址� not even Poland, which is the closest, spending more than 4% and expected to approach 5% this year.

Speaking to reporters in Germany on Tuesday, Hegseth wouldnB次元官网网址檛 commit to having the U.S. increase its defense spending to 5% of GDP. Hegseth said that he believes that the U.S. should spend more than it did under the Biden administration and B次元官网网址渟hould not go lower than 3 percent.B次元官网网址�

He said any final decision would be up to Trump, but added that B次元官网网址渨e live in fiscally constrained timesB次元官网网址� and need to be responsible with taxpayer money. The U.S. spends about 3.3% of GDP on defense.

NATO leaders are expected to agree on new spending targets at their next planned summit, in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-26.