Hegseth Says Trump Admin’s Ukraine Peace Push Includes Recognizing ‘Realities on the Ground’

Hegseth responds to criticism that the Trump administration’s efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war come with too many proposed concessions to the Russian side.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds his closing press conference at the end of defense ministers' meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 13, 2025. Omar Havana/Getty Images

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Feb. 13 refuted criticism that the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate an end to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war come with too many concessions to the Russian side.

Speaking at a news conference at the headquarters of NATO in Belgium, Hegseth said any suggestion that the Trump administration is making too many concessions to Russia or negotiating from a position of weakness is “ahistorical and false.”