U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Thursday that Ukraine’s NATO membership is not a realistic outcome of any peace settlement with Russia, calling on European NATO allies to take the lead in securing Ukraine and strengthening their own defenses. Speaking at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels, Hegseth emphasized that the U.S. will not deploy troops to Ukraine and that any security guarantees must be backed by European and non-European forces, but outside of NATO’s Article 5 framework. He also urged European nations to increase their defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP, aligning with President Donald Trump’s vision of a more self-reliant Europe.

Hegseth further stated that attempts to restore Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders were unrealistic, warning that prolonging the war in pursuit of this goal would only lead to further bloodshed. He insisted that European NATO members must expand their defense industrial base, donate more military aid to Ukraine and prepare their citizens for the security threats facing Europe.