US: ‘Return To Pre-2014 Ukraine Borders ‘Unrealistic’ As Trump Speaks With Putin
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced Wednesday that he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to talks on a ceasefire to the war in Ukraine, but Washington said calls for Ukraine’s pre-2014 border are “unrealistic.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at a meeting in Brussels that “chasing this illusionary goal” of capturing previous borders will “prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
“Bloodshed must stop, this war must end,” he stressed, adding that the U.S. “does not believe” that NATO military alliance membership for Ukraine “is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement” with Russia.
Yet Trump said in separate remarks that he held a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Putin and that they agreed to “have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.”
He also announced that he and Putin agreed to visit each other’s nations.
“As we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, TruthSocial.
“President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” he added.
The U.S. negotiating team would include Marco Rubio, the secretary of state; John Ratcliffe, the director of the CIA; Michael Waltz, the national security adviser; and Steve Witkoff, the ambassador and special envoy.
Speaking to officials of more than 40 countries allied to Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.”
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