Hague Says: Ukraine’s Membership in NATO is Unrealistic

The United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, stated on Wednesday that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must end.” The United States is committed to upholding Ukraine’s sovereignty, but allowing Ukraine to join NATO as part of a peace agreement is not a realistic outcome.

In a speech before the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group meeting on Wednesday, Hegseth emphasized that European forces should be the primary force to ensure Ukraine’s security post-war, with the United States military not directly involved.

Hegseth did not announce any new assistance from the United States to Ukraine. He stated, “We are here today to directly and clearly state that the grim strategic reality prevents the United States from primarily focusing on European security.”

“The United States does not see Ukraine joining NATO as a realistic outcome for reaching a resolution,” Hegseth emphasized, “Pursuing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”

He added that any security assurances provided to Ukraine “must be supported by capable European and non-European military forces.”

“It should be clear that as part of any security assurance, the United States will not deploy troops to Ukraine,” he said.

Hegseth also stated that returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders (before the Russian invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine) “is an unrealistic goal.”

Hegseth pointed out that the United States and European allies can cooperate in certain areas to exert more negotiating pressure on Russia.

“Lower energy prices along with more effective enforcement of energy sanctions will help bring Russia to the negotiating table,” he said.

In addition, the United States Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, will travel to Ukraine this week to meet with Zelensky as part of American efforts to resolve the conflict and ensure access to critical mineral resources.

The US defense chief also stated that Europe needs to “step up” and bear more responsibility for the security of the European continent. He added that an imbalanced relationship would lead to dependency.

“Honesty will be our policy moving forward,” he added.

Hegseth echoed President Trump’s call for allies to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, rather than 2%, as Trump believes 2% is not sufficient.

In conclusion, Hegseth emphasized that the United States “remains committed to the NATO alliance and defense partnership with Europe. But the US will no longer tolerate imbalanced relationships that encourage dependency.”

British Defense Minister John Healey responded, saying, “We hear your concerns about strengthening security for Ukraine, and we also hear your concerns about enhancing security in Europe.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte earlier on Wednesday stated that he agrees with Trump’s view that there needs to be a balance in security assistance to Ukraine. Rutte said, “We must balance our security assistance to Ukraine. But to truly change the trajectory of the conflict, we need to do more.”

Rutte mentioned that non-US NATO allies increased defense spending by 20% compared to 2023. He told reporters on Wednesday that these NATO allies provided over half of the approximately 500 billion euros (519 billion dollars) in aid to Ukraine last year.

(This article is based on reports from CNN and Bloomberg)