Returning Ukraine to pre-2014 borders 'unrealistic,' says U.S. Defense secretary

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders is an "unrealistic objective," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday, as he suggested that U.S. military support for the besieged European ally would be at least reduced as the Pentagon pivots focus to preventing war with China in the Indo-Pacific.

"We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine, but we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective," he said. "Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering."

Hegseth made the comments Wednesday in Brussels at the start of the 26th Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of more than 50 nations that support Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion.

The meeting took place under uncertainty about Ukraine's ability to continue fighting Russia, with President Donald Trump again leading the United States, Kyiv's largest backer, which has given it more than $65 billion in military assistance since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022.

That cloud of uncertainty appeared to dissipate some as Hegseth told military and diplomatic leaders assembled for the meeting that a "realistic assessment" of the battlefield must be taken to end the war and establish a durable peace, which he added was the Trump administration's goal.

Along with Ukraine giving up on retaining sovereignty of at least some of the land it has been fighting to regain for nearly three years, Hegseth said the United States does not think a negotiated peace will permit Kyiv to join NATO, the voluntary defensive military pact.

"The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. Instead any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops," he said.

The Pentagon head also instructed the European leaders to increase their military spending to 5% of their gross domestic product, as the current 2% directed by NATO is "not enough."

He said protecting European security is an imperative for European members of NATO, and it must "provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine," suggesting that the United States would be lessening its support for Kyiv.

"Members of this contact group must meet the moment," he said. "This means donating more ammunition and equipment, leveraging comparative advantages, expanding your industrial base and, importantly, leveling with your citizens about the threat facing Europe."

The United States, he said, is facing threats at home and a competitor in the Indo-Pacific, and its military will be focused on preventing war with China.

"The U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific, recognizing the reality of scarcity and making the resourcing tradeoffs to ensure deterrence does not fail. Deterrence cannot fail," he said.

The comments by Hegseth mark a drastic change in U.S. policy, as the United States under the former Biden administration projected the image that it would stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary, seeing the conflict as an attack on democracy and international order.

Trump, however, campaigned on an isolationist agenda and has openly questioned sending support to Kyiv while being known for praising President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

On Wednesday, Trump and Putin spoke, with the American leader stating they agreed to "start negotiations immediately."

Though Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, the Kremlin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. It now possesses 20% or Ukraine's territory, while Ukraine has captured a portion of Russia's Kursk Oblast where they are fighting against both Russian and North Korean troops.

President Volodymyr Zelensky Ukrainian has said that they cannot recognize any Russia-occupied territory of Ukraine and that they will retake Crimea through diplomacy.

Hegseth's remarks received swift rebuke by Democrats and critics, accusing the Trump administration of capitulating to Putin, who has blamed NATO and Ukraine's nearly two-decade effort to join the military pact as a reason for his invasion.

"This will embolden Putin and undermine the interests of peace in Ukraine and Europe. A major blow to U.S. national security," Alexander Vindman, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former director of Euroeap Affairs for the U.S. National Security Council during the first Trump administration, said on X.

He said it sends the message that military aggression works.

"It puts NATO in the crosshairs and U.S. troops in harm's way."

The United States has provided Ukraine nearly $66 billion in military assistance since the war began and nearly $70 billion since 2014, making it Kyiv's largest financial backer in the war.

Several European government, including the European Commision, Germany, France, Poland, Spain and Britain, issued a joint statement on Wednesday vowing enhanced support for Ukraine.

"We commit to its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's war of aggression," it said, adding that they are looking forward to "discussing the way ahead with our American allies.

"Ukraine should be provided with strong security guarantees. A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for a strong transatlantic security," it said.