Hegseth tells NATO that a return to Ukraine’s 2014 borders is ‘unrealistic’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday it was “unrealistic” to aim for a return to Ukraine’s borders as they were before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatists who took over swathes of the country’s east.

The remarks are the clearest indication yet that the United States will support a negotiation between Ukraine and Russia in which Ukraine cedes territory that’s already been seized by the Kremlin.

“We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine,” Hegseth said in a speech during a trip to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. “But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for more updates.