Pentagon chief raises possibility of providing Ukraine with nuclear weapons

He said this in an interview with Breitbart News.

Hegseth emphasized that he does not intend to "declare anything on or off the table": "That’s not my job. That’s the president's job. He’s the leader, he’s the master negotiator and dealmaker."

The Pentagon chief reminded about the U.S. government's intent to achieve the cessation of Russia's war against Ukraine and the Trump administration's work on defining "certain conditions" for peace.

"Some of us are out there to help set certain types of conditions that could make a deal more likely and that’s what I’ve tried to do here in the context of NATO," he noted.

It is reported that on Wednesday, February 12, Hegseth, outlining some positions of Washington ahead of potential negotiations, stated that "Ukraine should not be offered NATO membership." He also said that the return of Ukraine to its internationally recognized borders seems "unrealistic."

Hegseth emphasized that American troops will not be deployed on Ukrainian territory, and European peacekeeping forces should not be part of the NATO mission to avoid the risk of invoking Article 5, which could lead to U.S. military intervention.

According to reports from Western media, these statements by Hegseth at a meeting of NATO allies and partners supporting Ukraine caused "shock and dismay" in Europe. European countries, which are firmly assisting Kyiv in its fight against Russian aggression, have largely relied on U.S. leadership as well as their financial and military support.

Later, Hegseth clarified his remarks about Ukraine's NATO membership and the return of occupied territories, stressing that his comments should not be seen as defining "red lines" but should be understood as "the reality of the situation."

"I’m not the one that declares a red line or not. I work with the president, as we work through these issues, but we believed that it was useful just to speak some reality into the conversation," said the Pentagon chief.

Hegseth noted that his words do not mean Ukraine will not be able to join NATO in the future.

"I think what I articulated yesterday (Wednesday, - ed.), in consultation with senior leadership in the White House and the Oval Office of the president, was the reality of the moment — that NATO membership was unlikely considering the realities of where we are," emphasized the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

He added that "No one’s throwing a stake in the ground for 25 years from now or any defined period of time."

"It’s just a recognition that if you want if we want a negotiated peace, you want a ceasefire, you want an opportunity for enduring peace, realistically, right now that’s not in the cards — just like going back to the 2014 borders realistically right now is not in the cards," stated the Pentagon chief.

• U.S. Special Representative Keith Kellogg said that the chance of Ukraine regaining nuclear state status is “between slim and none.”