No US Boots on the Ground in Ukraine, Hegseth Says

[UPDATED: Feb. 12, 18:07, Kyiv time. Added Hegseth’s statements on Ukrainian territories and NATO aspiration] 

Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed US secretary of defense, said Washington will not place US boots on the ground in Ukraine on Wednesday.

During Hegseth’s visit to Germany to attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, commonly known as the Ramstein format, he was prompted by a reporter on potential troop deployments in Ukraine “to track weapons shipments,” to which Hegseth said no.

“We are not sending US troops into Ukraine,” Hegseth said, as reported by Newsweek. However, he added that there were “no plans to cut anything” when asked about the potential redeployment of resources from Europe to pressure China. 

However, he added that any security guarantees offered to Ukraine “must be backed by capable European and non-European troops,” CNN reported. 

Hegseth added that US President Donald Trump is “committed to delivering” a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow.

“We’re going to have a straight talk with our friends … The urgency of this moment requires friends talking with friends about capabilities, about stepping up,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth also called the restoration of Ukraine’s internationally recognized 1991 borders and its NATO membership – one of Kyiv’s key demands in future security guarantees – unrealistic.

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“The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” Hegseth said. 

Earlier, US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg said he would bring the results from the upcoming Munich Security Conference between Feb. 14 and Feb. 16 to help Trump formulate the peace plan.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Wednesday at noon that he held his first meeting with Hegseth without disclosing details of their discussions.