He Secretary of Defense of USAPete Hegsethsaid Wednesday that it is not “realistic” that Ukraine can return to Borders prior to 2014when Russia began to occupy its territories, nor that you can enter NATO as a result of a peace agreement. “We want, as you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine, but we must begin by recognizing that returning to the borders of Ukraine prior to 2014 is an unrealistic objective. Persecating this illusory objective will only prolong war and cause more suffering,” Hegseth told the Beginning of a group of a group of fifty countries that support Kiev.
Hegseth took the floor at the beginning of the meeting, which for the first time did not preside over the United Kingdom. He stressed that “a lasting peace for Ukraine must include solid security guarantees Let them ensure that the war will not start again. This should not be Minsk 3.0, “he said in reference to Minsk’s agreements to try to put an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia initiated in 2014. That said, he stressed that” the United States does not believe that the entry of Ukraine into NATO is a Realistic result of a negotiated agreement, “and added that,” instead, any security guarantee must be backed by European and non -European troops. “
“If these troops are displayed as forces of Peace maintenance in Ukraine At some point, they must be deployed as part of an NATO mission, and should not be covered by article 5 “of the Washington Treaty (which guarantees the collective defense of the allies), he said. In addition, the head of the Pentagon He considered that “there must be a robust international supervision of the contact line.”
Weaken Russia by energy
Hegesh also referred to the fact that, “to further enable effective diplomacy and reduce the energy prices that finance the Russian war machinery,” the US president, Donald Trump, “is giving free rein to US energy production and encouraging To other countries to do the same. ” “Lower energy prices, along with a more effective application of energy sanctions, will help Russia feel at the table. Safeguard European security It must be an imperative for NATO European members, “he said.
In that context, he also said that Europe “must provide an overwhelming part of the future lethal and non -lethal help to Ukraine”, which means donating more ammunition and equipment, expanding its industrial defense base and, also, “speaking with frankness to Its citizens about the threat facing Europe “and invest more in defense. The current 2 % objective of GDP “is not enough; President Trump has asked for 5 % and I agree,” he said.
The Front with China
Hegseth also expressed his partners “directly and unambiguously” that “raw strategic realities prevent the United States from focusing mainly on Europe’s security.” “The United States faces serious threats for their own territory. We must focus, and we are focusing, on the security of our own borders,” he said, he added that they are “giving priority to the deterrence of war with China in the Pacific , recognizing the reality of scarcity and making resource concessions to ensure that deterrence does not fail. ” “Dysmasion cannot fail, for the good of all (…). Together we can establish a division of labor that maximizes our comparative advantages in Europe and the Pacific, respectively,” he said.
In any case, he considered that he is seeing “promising signs that Europe sees this threat, understands what needs to be done and gets to work.” According to Hegesh, the continuity of NATO “will demand that our European allies go to the fore and assume the responsibility for conventional security in the continent.” “The United States is still committed to the NATO alliance and the Defense Association with Europe and Punto, but the United States will no longer tolerate an unbalanced relationship that foster dependence,” he concluded.
