Prospects for peace in the Caucasus have significantly been raised with the United States slamming the door on Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Speaking just before a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said, “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.”
He demanded that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must end.”
The defence secretary’s comments reflect US President Donald Trump‘s campaign promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible. The conflict, from Russia’s perspective, was to frustrate Ukraine from joining NATO.
Not only that, Hegseth pointed out that the US will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security as the Trump administration wants to shifts its attention to securing the US’ own borders and deterring war with China.
The defense chief believes that European troops should be the primary force securing a post-war Ukraine—something US troops will not be involved in.
He added further that any security guarantees offered to Ukraine “must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.”
“To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine,” he said.
Throwing a cheery fruit to Russia’s strongman, Vladimir Putin—who annexed Crimea in 2014—Defense Secretary Hegseth said the United States believes it is “an unrealistic objective” to expect the return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders.
Hegseth’s comments will taste like sour grapes in Kyiv, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week canvassed for security guarantees backed by American leadership.
US Pivots Away From European Security
Hegseth also did not announce any new US aid to Ukraine. “We’re also here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe,” he said.
Considering the apparent expansionist policies of Trump, who is hungrily eyeing Greenland, Canada, the Panama Canal, and lately Gaza, Hegseth’s comments did not necessarily come as a surprise to many.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth:
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) February 12, 2025
"The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome for a negotiated settlement." pic.twitter.com/ui9E38wV1M
Defense boss Hegseth’s comments effectively resolve the Russian-Ukrainian impasse in Putin’s favor.
But not all are happy with the new posturing of US policy under Trump.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said earlier on Wednesday that he “agrees” with Trump “that we must equalize security assistance to Ukraine. But to really change the trajectory of the conflict, we need to do even more.”
But the US defense secretary’s comments were the clearest articulation yet of how the Trump administration intends to pivot away from Europe and concentrate on American geopolitical and strategic interests.
It’s a stark departure from the approach of the Biden administration, which made the transatlantic alliance and support for Ukraine the centerpiece of its foreign policy.
Hegseth also repeated President Donald Trump’s demand for allies to increase their defense spending to 5% of their GDP, insisting that 2% was “not enough” and was placing too heavy a burden on American taxpayers to protect Europe.
Notwithstanding, Hegseth reassured NATO allies that the US “remains committed to the alliance and to the defense partnership with Europe. Full stop. But the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency.”
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Good of Trump administration. I hope that our so-called leaders in Nigeria are now learning how America and Burkina Faso leaders are prioritizing their country and her security.