Obama officials and Trump critics spoke harshly of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he took returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders off the table in peace negotiations with Russia.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and said it is “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine’s borders to revert to their 2014 status before the annexation of Crimea.

NATO allies are in a state of anger, denial and despair after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth effectively declared an end to America's role as the primary guarantor of European security, particularly over Ukraine.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has trained with U.S. Marines in Germany ahead of his first NATO meeting. Hegseth is currently on a week-long trip that includes visits to Germany, Belgium and Poland, after he narrowly made it through the Senate's confirmation process in which Vice President JD Vance had to cast a tie-breaking vote.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday made the first trip to NATO by a member of the new Trump administration, as the allies wait to learn how much military and financial support

The defense secretary's remarks further demonstrated the Trump administration's belief that Ukraine will have to cede territory to negotiate an end to the war.