‘Without betrayal’ in Trump moves to the negotiations of the Ukraine War, says Hegseth

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the president Donald TrumpThe movement towards negotiations with Russia to end war with Ukraine was “without betrayal” during a visit to the headquarters of NATO in Belgium on Thursday.

Hegseth answered the question of a journalist about the United States potentially betraying Ukraine after Trump received a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about starting to negotiate peace without kyiv’s total participation.

“There is no betrayal there,” Hegseth told journalists. “There is a recognition that the entire world and the United States are invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace.”

Russia and Ukraine have been at war Since February 2022, when Russia first invaded its neighboring nation. Trump had repeatedly said while he was in the campaign that if he was president in 2022, the war would not have exploded, promising to end if he reelacts.

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The Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegseth, speaks with the media when he arrives for a meeting of NATO defense ministers at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, February 13, 2025. (Photo AP/Harry Nakos)

On Wednesday, Trump said he had A “long” call with Putin, which included the Russian leader agreeing “immediately” to begin negotiations on war in Ukraine. Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy separately. After conversations with both leaders, Trump said “probably” would meet in person with the Russian leader in the short term, possibly in Saudi Arabia.

Responding to a separate question, Hegseth referred to telephone calls and pointed to Trump’s ability as a negotiator.

NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, on the right, and the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegesh In Brussels on Thursday, February 13, 2025. (Photo AP/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

“I think President Trump saw yesterday, who is the best negotiator on the planet, joining two parts to find a negotiated peace, which is ultimately what everyone wants,” he said. “So I look forward to the ministerial today with our NATO allies Have honest conversations about where we are. “

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Hegesh also said he believes Trump is the “a man in the world capable of summoning the parties to bring peace.”

During his visit to the NATO headquarters on Wednesday, Hegseth told Allies that “he returned to The borders prior to 2014 of Ukraine It is an unrealistic objective, “since Trump works to end war.

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“It intends to put an end to this war for diplomacy and bring Russia and Ukraine to the table. And the United States Department of Defense will help achieve this goal,” said Hegesh. “We want a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must begin by recognizing that returning to the borders prior to 2014 of Ukraine is an unrealistic objective. Pursuing this illusory objective will only prolong war and will cause more suffering.”

Emma Colton and Greg Norman of Fox News Digital, together with Associated Press, contributed to this report.