{"id":27525,"date":"2025-02-14T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T22:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=27525"},"modified":"2025-02-13T17:44:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T15:44:27","slug":"us-defense-chief-declares-ukraine-membership-unrealistic-during-first-visit-to-nato-headquarters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-defense-chief-declares-ukraine-membership-unrealistic-during-first-visit-to-nato-headquarters\/","title":{"rendered":"US defense chief declares Ukraine membership \u201cunrealistic\u201d during first visit to NATO headquarters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>7 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made his first visit to the NATO headquarters on February 12, 2025, to address the general assembly of NATO defense chiefs. The visit comes at a time when allies are desperately waiting for clarity from the new Trump administration on the military and financial support for Ukraine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While speaking at the gathering of NATO defense chiefs in Brussels, Hegseth called on the allies to ramp up their defense spending and ensure security in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are at a critical moment. As the war approaches its third anniversary, our message is clear: The bloodshed must stop, and this war must end,\u201d Hegseth stated, emphasizing that a durable peace in Ukraine could only be achieved by merging allied military strength with a realistic battlefield assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>UK convenes Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the sidelines of the NATO defense ministers\u2019 meeting, the 26th session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group was convened. Over the past three years, approximately 50 countries have contributed over $126 billion in weapons and military aid to Ukraine through the platform which was established and chaired by the former U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The UK is leading the 26th Ukraine Defence Contact Group today, the first European nation to do so.<br><br>The Defence Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnHealey_MP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JohnHealey_MP<\/a> has arrived in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NATO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NATO<\/a> HQ along with over 40 partner nations demonstrating our unwavering support for Ukraine in this critical year. \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83e\udd1d\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BOuFd5aYNQ\">pic.twitter.com\/BOuFd5aYNQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ministry of Defence \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@DefenceHQ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DefenceHQ\/status\/1889635702867894520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Conventionally the meeting of the contact group took place at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, however, for the first time since its inception the contact group meeting was hosted by the United Kingdom at the NATO headquarters as the new U.S. Defense Secretary has not shown any interest in heading the group like his predecessor. No decision has been made regarding who will chair the next meeting, or when it will be convened<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>No membership for Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hegseth reaffirmed the United States\u2019 stance on Ukraine\u2019s NATO membership, stating that such an outcome would not be a &#8220;realistic&#8221; part of any negotiated peace settlement with Russia. His remarks signaled a shift in U.S. priorities under President Donald J. Trump\u2019s administration, highlighting diplomacy and European responsibility over direct U.S. intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine&#8217;s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of NATO membership, Hegseth proposed robust security guarantees for Ukraine, backed by capable European and non-European troops. However, he made it clear that if such troops were ever deployed as peacekeepers, they would operate under a non-NATO mission and would not be protected under Article 5 of the NATO treaty. &#8220;To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Ukraine-UK-defense-ministers-meeting.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"629\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Ukraine-UK-defense-ministers-meeting.jpg?resize=1016%2C629&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov meeting with UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey\" class=\"wp-image-27528\" style=\"width:840px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Ukraine-UK-defense-ministers-meeting.jpg?resize=1024%2C634&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Ukraine-UK-defense-ministers-meeting.jpg?resize=300%2C186&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Ukraine-UK-defense-ministers-meeting.jpg?resize=768%2C476&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Ukraine-UK-defense-ministers-meeting.jpg?resize=1536%2C951&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Ukraine-UK-defense-ministers-meeting.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>Ukraine&#8217;s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov meeting with UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey during NATO defense chiefs gathering in Brussels, on February 12, 2025. (Image Credit: X\/@rustem_umerov)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Hegseth\u2019s trip to the NATO headquarters coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the call, the two leaders discussed and agreed to \u201cstart negotiations\u201d toward ending Russia\u2019s war with Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>European defense chiefs raised concerns about potential negotiations on the Ukraine war between Russian and U.S. leaders, sidelining the Ukrainian leadership. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Ukraine\u2019s potential membership in NATO and whether it should concede any territory should not be decided before peace talks start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pistorius told reporters he regretted what he called concessions made by the United States ahead of any potential negotiations, referencing comments by Pete Hegseth regarding Ukraine\u2019s NATO membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine. And Ukraine\u2019s voice must be at the heart of any talks,&#8221; British Defense Secretary John Healey told reporters just ahead of the ministerial meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luxembourg\u2019s Defense Minister Yuriko Backes told reporters that all allies need to continue to support Ukraine. &#8220;There are talks about peace plans. Nothing about Ukraine should be decided without Ukraine at the table. Nothing about European security should be decided without Europeans at the table,&#8221; Backes said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ramping up defence production is a top priority for NATO to keep our one billion people safe \ud83d\udee1\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/DefMin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DefMin<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/O9PlHdQY5V\">pic.twitter.com\/O9PlHdQY5V<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NATO (@NATO) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NATO\/status\/1889959948605657220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Rutte said NATO allies are also not producing enough in terms of military production, saying alliance members need to get more output from their huge industrial base to keep up with China, Russia, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>European money for Europe\u2019s security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hegseth\u2019s speech at NATO underscored a growing expectation from the new Trump administration for European NATO members to bear the burden of defending the continent. He called for an &#8220;overwhelming share&#8221; of both lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine to come from European allies, arguing that they must \u201cmeet the moment\u201d by expanding their defense industrial bases, donating more ammunition and equipment, and increasing their military spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Safeguarding European security must be an imperative for European members of NATO,&#8221; he stressed. &#8220;Part of this is speaking frankly with your people about how this threat can only be met by spending more on defense.&#8221; Reiterating Trump\u2019s call for a major increase in military budgets, Hegseth stated, &#8220;2% is not enough; President Trump has called for 5%, and I agree.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the strong call for greater European responsibility, Hegseth acknowledged some positive steps taken by NATO allies. He praised Sweden\u2019s recent $1.2 billion assistance package to Ukraine and commended Poland for already spending 5% of its GDP on defense, calling it \u201ca model for the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, he pointed out that 14 NATO countries are co-leading Capability Coalitions to coordinate Europe&#8217;s contributions of lethal assistance across eight key military capability areas. \u201cThese are the first steps. More must still be done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Hegseth-NATO-Chief-Rutte.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Hegseth-NATO-Chief-Rutte.jpg?resize=1016%2C678&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte\" class=\"wp-image-27527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Hegseth-NATO-Chief-Rutte.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Hegseth-NATO-Chief-Rutte.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Hegseth-NATO-Chief-Rutte.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Hegseth-NATO-Chief-Rutte.jpg?resize=589%2C392&amp;ssl=1 589w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Hegseth-NATO-Chief-Rutte.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. (Image Credit: X\/@SecGenNATO)<\/sup><\/em><br><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Focus on China and domestic security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his speech at the meeting of NATO Defense Ministers, Hegseth highlighted a strategic pivot in U.S. defense priorities, shifting attention toward securing American borders and deterring potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific region. \u201cWe&#8217;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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pointing to threats posed by China, Hegseth underscored that the U.S. must \u201cprioritize deterring war with China in the Pacific\u201d while recognizing resource constraints and making difficult trade-offs. &#8220;As the United States prioritizes its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front,&#8221; he declared. &#8220;Together, we can establish a division of labor that maximizes our comparative advantages in Europe and the Pacific respectively.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hegseth\u2019s comments came amid growing concerns over Russia\u2019s intensified military buildup. A recent report from the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) warned that Russia could launch a war against one or more European NATO countries if it perceives the alliance as \u201cmilitarily weakened or politically divided.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report stated that Russia has transitioned from a military reconstruction phase to an aggressive expansion effort, bolstered by economic and material support from China, as well as troop and weapons assistance from North Korea and Iran. \u201cDuring 2024, this effort has changed its nature from a reconstruction to an intensified military buildup to be able to wage an equal fight against NATO forces,\u201d the report noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Visit to Germany and Poland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead of attending the ministerial gathering in Belgium, the Pentagon Chief made a stopover in Germany, where he visited the U.S. military base. About two dozen U.S. citizens living at the military base protested and booed at Hegseth as he arrived at the U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany,<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Pete-Hegseth.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Pete-Hegseth.jpg?resize=1016%2C678&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth\" class=\"wp-image-27529\" style=\"width:840px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Pete-Hegseth.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Pete-Hegseth.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Pete-Hegseth.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Pete-Hegseth.jpg?resize=589%2C392&amp;ssl=1 589w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-Defense-Secretary-Pete-Hegseth.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers opening remarks during the 26th iteration of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, on February 12, 2025. (Image Credit: U.S. DoD\/Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander C. Kubitza)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Following the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Hegseth headed off to Poland for what the Pentagon said would be talks with leaders about &#8220;bilateral defense cooperation, continued deterrence efforts along NATO&#8217;s eastern flank, and Poland&#8217;s leadership as a model ally in defense investment and burden-sharing in NATO.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made his first visit to the NATO headquarters on February 12, 2025, to address the general assembly of NATO defense chiefs. The visit comes at a time when allies are desperately waiting for clarity from the new Trump administration on the military and financial support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[62,1,125],"tags":[45,75,6,357,377,5,59,113,7,61,22,365,128],"class_list":["post-27525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-news","category-united-states","tag-china","tag-conflict","tag-defense","tag-europe","tag-indo-pacific","tag-military","tag-nato","tag-security","tag-u-s","tag-uk","tag-ukraine","tag-united-kingdom","tag-war"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/US-NATO-Ukraine-meeting.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-79X","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27525"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27535,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27525\/revisions\/27535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}