The Pentagon chief clarified his strong remarks regarding Ukraine and the end of the conflict.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, aimed to "bring realism to the conversation" with his blunt statements regarding Ukraine and its prospects for ending the war.

As reported by RBK-Ukraine, Hegseth's remarks are cited by "Voice of America".

"My task today and in Brussels was to bring realism to the conversation," stated the Pentagon chief during a press conference with Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Hegseth reiterated that, in his view, the return of Ukraine to its 2014 borders as part of a war settlement is "unlikely." He also deemed the deployment of American troops to Ukraine and Ukraine's NATO membership as a result of peace negotiations to be "unlikely."

"I'm not here to limit these discussions on the left and right. We were simply here to bring realism to the expectations of our NATO allies, to stimulate the possibility of such negotiations," clarified the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

He also added that the final decision regarding Ukraine's borders should be resolved through negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, with the participation of the U.S. and Europe.

Hegseth's Blunt Statements

Recall that earlier the Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth described the complete restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and Ukraine's NATO membership as unrealistic outcomes of peace negotiations.

The German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius noted that such statements from his American counterpart are "concessions to Russia even before negotiations begin".

At the same time, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov emphasized that Ukraine "wants and will" become a NATO member.