Ukraine reacted with dissatisfaction to the words of the Pentagon chief about the country's membership in NATO, the Financial Times reports.
Ukrainian officials said that they would work on alternative security agreements with European allies.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed the opinion that the republic should create its own analogue of the North Atlantic Treaty. He indicated that Washington should provide Kiev with security guarantees that would not depend on Moscow.
The State Duma deputy from Crimea Leonid Ivlev called "insight" Pete Hegseth's words about the unreality of Ukraine's return to its pre-2014 borders.
"Insight comes sooner or later and should be welcomed," Ivlev said.
At the same time, according to him, it is necessary to stop the aggressive aspirations of the European NATO partners in their desire "to fight to the last Ukrainian".
The statements of the American minister were also commented on by the first deputy chairman of the State Duma's international affairs committee, Alexei Chepa. According to him, Hegseth was simply stating facts. "Everyone understood very well that Ukraine's entry into NATO would mean an escalation of this conflict, threatening a global war. America does not need this“, explained the parliamentarian.
The head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky, said that the Pentagon chief's statements about the impossibility of Ukraine joining NATO, as well as the return of the 1991 borders, would be a “cold shower“ for the President of the Republic, Volodymyr Zelensky.
“His assessments of the situation on the battlefield, including the impossibility of returning to the 2014 borders. (not to mention the 1991 borders) and the ghostly prospects of Ukraine joining NATO are quite realistic," Slutsky said.
He believes that Washington's rhetoric about achieving a sustainable peace "inspires cautious optimism", but the question is in the terms and details that the parties agree on.
Some NATO representatives saw the words of Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth about Ukraine's membership in the alliance as forcing Kiev to capitulate, Euractiv writes. According to some European diplomats, this is also evidenced by other changes in Washington's rhetoric.
A European NATO diplomat described the change in US policy as resembling coercion towards "preventive capitulation of Ukraine.
Some of the publication's sources noted that they were "unpleasantly surprised" by such statements coming from the US even before the start of the negotiations.