Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the idea of restoring Ukraine’s borders to their pre-2014 state and bringing the country into NATO is unrealistic. “We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine, but we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,” Hegseth remarked during his first overseas visit as the newly appointed defense secretary under Donald Trump. Russia’s initial invasion of Crimea, a peninsula along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, occurred in 2014, followed by a broader invasion nearly three years ago in February 2022. “Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” Hegseth added. He also asserted that including Ukraine in NATO is not a “realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement” to bring the conflict to an end.
Hegseth reiterated Trump’s position that Europe should shoulder a greater portion of the financial burden for supporting Ukraine’s defense, urging European leaders to “meet the moment.” “Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine,” he emphasized. This statement came shortly after Trump’s diplomatic efforts with Russia led to the release of Marc Fogel, an American who had been imprisoned in Russia for over three years on charges related to marijuana possession. Russia indicated it would receive one of its own prisoners in return, though their identity would not be disclosed until they had returned to Russian soil. It remains unclear if the ongoing conflict in Ukraine was part of the discussions.
During a joint appearance with Fogel at the White House, Trump suggested that the prisoner exchange could serve as a positive development in terms of facilitating negotiations to end the war, commenting that it created “good will in terms of the war.” However, Russia played down the significance of the agreement. “Such agreements are hardly capable of becoming a breakthrough moment, but at the same time, bit by bit, these are steps to build mutual trust, which is now at its lowest point,” said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Russian Kremlin, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Trump sent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to work on a separate agreement. Bessent’s mission involved negotiating with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth mineral reserves in exchange for additional U.S. aid. This initiative aligns with Trump’s earlier criticisms that the more than $65 billion the U.S. has provided to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion has not resulted in a favorable return for America. “The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump stated in a Truth Social post announcing Bessent’s visit on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy has expressed his willingness to offer Ukraine’s resources in return for increased aid. However, he made it clear in a recent interview with British ITV that Trump’s focus should not solely be on ending the war, but also on ensuring that “Putin has no chance to wage war on us again.” On Wednesday morning, Kyiv was hit by a barrage of ballistic missiles in what local authorities described as the most intense attack on the city in weeks. Ukraine’s air force reported that six out of the seven missiles were intercepted, but at least one person was killed, and four others were injured in the assault.
In a Tuesday interview with the Guardian, Zelenskyy proposed a potential territorial swap with Russia as a way to halt the conflict. “We will swap one territory for another,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “all our territories are important, there is no priority.” However, Peskov swiftly rejected this idea, calling it “impossible.” “Russia has never discussed and will not discuss the exchange of its territory,” he declared.
{Matzav.com}
