Hegseth responds to criticism that the Trump administration’s efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war come with too many proposed concessions to the Russian side.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Feb. 13 refuted criticism that the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate an end to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war come with too many concessions to the Russian side.
Speaking at a press conference at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Belgium on Thursday, Hegseth said any suggestion the Trump administration is making too many concessions to Russia or negotiating from a position of weakness is “ahistorical and false.”
As Hegseth took questions from reporters at his NATO press conference on Thursday, he pushed back on concerns that his recent comments had already given Russian President Vladimir Putin too much leverage in upcoming negotiations.
“I think realism is an important part of the conversation that hasn’t existed enough inside conversations amongst friends,” Hegseth said Thursday. “But simply pointing out realism, like the borders won’t be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014, is not a concession to Vladimir Putin. It’s a recognition of hard power realities on the ground.”
Asked what concessions the Russian side would have to make while Ukraine concedes land, Hegseth said he expects a negotiated settlement to look like a demarcation line that neither side wants, but that he would ultimately defer to Trump. Hegseth said that Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy all understand the realities from which they are negotiating.
Trump announced productive calls with both Putin and Zelenskyy on Wednesday, and insisted all parties are interested in moving ahead with negotiations. He also backed Hegseth’s comments, saying Ukraine’s ambitions to retake all territory lost since 2014 and join NATO as part of a final settlement are “unlikely” to be fulfilled.
The Trump administration has also spoken with Zelenskyy about a deal whereby the United States would continue to provide some measures of support to Ukraine, in exchange for access to some of the country’s natural resources.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Zelenskyy on Wednesday to advance talks on this deal to trade further U.S. support for Ukrainian rare earths. Bessent said this arrangement could provide Ukraine with an added security guarantee.
“By increasing our economic commitment through a partnership with the government and people of Ukraine, that will provide—once this conflict is over—it will provide a long-term security shield for all Ukrainians,” Bessent said.
NATO met in Belgium on Thursday, as the alliance continues to evaluate future military and financial support for Ukraine, negotiations to end the war, and calls from the United States to boost its other members’ defense spending commitments.
Ahead of the Thursday meeting, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that whatever agreement is reached between Kyiv and Moscow, it is vital that the “peace deal is enduring, that Putin knows that this is the end, that he can never again try to capture a piece of Ukraine.”
Guy Birchall, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
