Trump’s Negotiations With Putin Are Not a Betrayal of Ukraine, Says US Defense Secretary

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated on February 13 that President Donald Trump’s discussions with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about initiating negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are “certainly not a betrayal” of Kyiv.

Reporters challenged Hegseth ahead of the NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on whether the rapid push for peace and negotiations with Putin could be perceived as a betrayal of Ukraine.

“That is your language, not mine. Certainly not a betrayal,” Hegseth answered. “There is no betrayal; there is a recognition that the whole world and the US is invested in peace, in a negotiated peace.”

US Secretary of Defense described Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as a “factory reset for NATO” and a moment of “realization that this alliance needs to be robust, strong, and real.”

“That is why President Trump has called for increased defense spending across the board for NATO, for European countries to recognize this is an urgent, real threat to the continent, and this aggression needs to be a wake-up call,” Hegseth said, adding that standing up to Russia is “an important European responsibility.”

On February 12, it was announced that Keith Kellogg, the US President’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, will visit Germany, Belgium, and Ukraine from February 13 to 22 to advance the American leader’s goal of ending the Russian war against Ukraine and ensuring “peace through strength.”