On February 12, at a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels (Belgium), US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the US would not deploy troops to Ukraine under any security agreement. This is considered the "red line" that the Trump administration has drawn regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
Minister Hegseth stressed that any peace process must begin with the recognition that the goal of regaining all of Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is unrealistic, although the US still wants Ukraine to be a "sovereign and prosperous" country. At the same time, he said Washington does not believe that Ukraine's accession to NATO will be a feasible outcome of peace talks.
The statement comes as America's European allies await a clear stance from the Trump administration, after he demanded NATO double its defense spending and pledged to quickly end the fighting in Ukraine.
In addition to Secretary Hegseth, several senior US officials will be in Europe this week. Notably, Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a security conference in Munich, Germany on February 14.
Ukraine expressed concern that any peace settlement that did not include firm commitments, such as NATO membership or the presence of Western peacekeepers, would give Russia an opportunity to regroup and prepare for new attacks.
Minister Hegseth also called on European allies to increase defense spending and take a greater role in supporting Ukraine. "Protecting European security is a mandatory responsibility for NATO members here. Europe needs to shoulder greater responsibility in providing both lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine," he stressed.
President Trump recently called on NATO members to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, far above current spending levels.
According to the British Institute for International and Strategic Studies (IISS), if European countries spent 3% of GDP on defense, NATO would have more than $250 billion more. This figure could increase to $750 billion if the 5% target is met as Mr. Trump wants.
However, IISS said achieving these figures is a big challenge, as many European countries even have to use extra-budgetary funds to increase defense spending.
