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.”
The day prior, Hegseth had said it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Ukraine to regain all the territory it had lost to Russia since 2014 as a precondition to ending the war, and raised opposition to Ukraine entering the NATO alliance. Following Hegseth’s remarks, ministers from Britain, Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, and the European Commission insisted Ukraine be able to negotiate for peace from a position of strength and that both Ukraine and the European community be involved in the negotiations….