Pentagon chief admits Europe's participation in peace talks on Ukraine
Photo: Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth (Getty Images)
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth admitted that Europe could take part in peace talks on Ukraine. However, he did not specify whether it was the EU or individual countries.
Hegseth said he stood by his comments made at the Ramstein meeting. He was referring to Ukraine's membership in NATO and the participation of US troops in a possible peacekeeping mission.
The US Secretary of Defense emphasized that the issue of borders is part of the discussion. Hegseth also allowed for European participation in the peace talks.
“So what those borders ultimately look like, sir, remains to be seen, and I think is part of the discussion that would be had between our president, Zelenskyy, Putin and likely Europe’s involvement in those discussions as well,” he said.
Exclusion of EU from negotiation process
On February 12, US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation during which, among other things, they discussed the war in Ukraine.
On the same day, Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Representatives of European countries said that the conversation between Trump and Putin came as a surprise to them, and some criticized the US president for talking to the Russian dictator.
Germany emphasized that Europe should be involved in negotiations on Ukraine, especially if Trump wants to deploy European peacekeepers to Ukraine. The UK reminded that Ukraine's voice should be at the center of any negotiations.
Western media report that Europe fears that Trump will exclude them from the negotiations but will force them to pay for Ukraine's reconstruction and send peacekeepers.
