Hegseth rules

The United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said that a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia must include security guarantees for Ukraine, but that “they should not be provided through NATO’s membership, but must be backed by European and non -European troops. “

The defense chief spoke shortly before the president Trump announced In a publication on social networks that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, during a phone call with the Russian leader on Wednesday. He said he would call the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, immediately “to inform him about the conversation.”

In comments delivered before a closed meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to discuss more help for Ukraine, Hegseth called Ukraine the goal of returning to their borders prior to 2014, before the Russian forces invaded and began to Take the ground, annexing the Crimean Peninsula – an “unrealistic objective.”

The United States Head of Defense said that “as part of any security guarantee, there will be no US troops deployed” in Ukraine.

In addition, he said that any peace maintenance troop deployed in Ukraine should not be part of an NATO mission, or covered by article 5, the Mutual Defense Pact of the Alliance.

Around 50 countries make up the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has supported Ukraine since Russia launched its large -scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

Hegseth said that, in the future, Europe should “provide the overwhelming proportion of lethal and non -lethal aid to Ukraine,” and urged those who attend the Brussels summit to speak with their governments about the increase in their defense expense, As the United States changes its approach elsewhere. .

Hegesh says that we will not be a “main safety guarantor in Europe”

“I am also here today to express directly and unequivocally that the strategic real real ones prevent the United States from being the main security guarantor in Europe,” said Hegseth, emphasizing that the United States would focus on their own border security and China.

“The United States is prioritizing the war with China in the Pacific, recognizing the reality of scarcity and compensation for resources to ensure that deterrence does not fail. As the United States changes their attention to these threats, European allies must Lead from the front, “Hegseth said.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group has provided Ukraine more than $ 126 billion in military assistance and weapons, Associated Press reported. The United States has provided $ 66.5 billion and has presided over the group since its inception. It is not clear who will preside over the next meeting.

“We listen to you,” said the Secretary of Defense of the United Kingdom, John Healey, in response to Hegseth’s comments.

Trump promised that the war in Ukraine would end quickly when he assumed the position earlier this year, he often complained that it is too expensive for US taxpayers.

In his comments, Hegseth said that the United States and Europe “can establish a division of labor that maximizes our comparative advantages in Europe and the Pacific, respectively,” but that “it will require that our European allies enter the sand and take possession of security Conventional conventional security.

“The United States is still committed to the NATO alliance and the association with Europe,” said Hegseth. “But the United States will no longer tolerate an unbalanced relationship that fosters dependency. Rather, our relationship will prioritize Europe’s empowerment for the responsibility for their security.”

Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.