In his first trip abroad, the new U.S. defense secretary told allies, including NATO officials, that a durable peace could only come “with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. has ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine as part of any peace deal with Russia.

Terming Ukraine’s aspiration for NATO membership as ‘unrealistic’, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Kyiv should also abandon hopes of winning its territory back from Russia.

President Donald Trump's administration is not sending U.S. troops into Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. Speaking with reporters in Germany, Hegseth also said that he would push European allies to spend more on defense when he meets with them this week.

In another blow to Ukraine’s Western-leaning aspirations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said NATO membership was unrealistic for Ukraine.

Britain supports U.S. President Donald Trump's desire to bring the war in Ukraine to an end and the country's priority is to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, the foreign office said in a statement.

The strategy for Ukraine is quietly shifting in Europe to match the changing tone of the United States — from a promise of unyielding support to an effort to bring Kyiv to the bargaining table with a strong hand.