PoliticsWar Ukraine returning to its 1991 borders and gaining NATO membership is “unrealistic.” Thursday, February 13, 2025 
US Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth, earlier than a gathering of the Contact Group within the Ramstein format, said that Ukraine reclaiming its internationally acknowledged borders established in 1991 is an “unrealistic” and “illusory” objective. He suggested Ukraine’s allies to “realistically assess” the scenario on the battlefield. “We should acknowledge that the return to the borders of Ukraine that existed earlier than 2014 is an unrealistic objective. Pursuing this illusory objective will solely lengthen the battle and trigger extra struggling,” Hegseth is satisfied. Based on him, “the cessation of hostilities and the achievement and preservation of peace are a precedence for US President Donald Trump,” and he’ll “put each Russia and Ukraine on the negotiating desk.” Hegseth additionally stated that any lasting peace for Ukraine should embrace stable safety ensures “to make sure that battle doesn’t begin once more.” Nonetheless, he added that the US doesn’t imagine that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is a sensible end result of a negotiated settlement.