The war in Ukraine must come to an end, and the bloodshed must stop, as we approach the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
This was stated by Ghegset during a speech at the Contact Group for Defense of Ukraine meeting in Brussels.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense quoted Donald Trump, who identified ending hostilities and achieving lasting peace through diplomacy and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine as a top priority. According to the Secretary, the U.S. aims to combine the military strength of allies with a realistic assessment of the battlefield situation to achieve peace.
Ghegset emphasized that the U.S. seeks to see Ukraine as a sovereign and capable nation, but noted that a return to the borders of 2014 is an unrealistic goal that will only prolong the conflict and lead to further suffering. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on providing reliable security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent a potential resurgence of war.
"This should not be Minsk 3.0," the Pentagon chief stressed.
He also pointed out that the U.S. does not believe in the feasibility of Ukraine's NATO membership as a result of negotiations. Any security guarantees should be based on capable European and non-European forces that can be deployed as peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, but without NATO involvement and without invoking Article 5 of the Alliance's charter, which stipulates collective defense.
Ghegset also highlighted the importance of international monitoring of the contact line between Ukraine and Russia, which will be part of the security guarantee system. According to him, U.S. troops will not be deployed on Ukrainian territory.