Defense Secretary Pete Hegseeth told reporters on Friday that “the reality of American troops in Ukraine is unlikely”, but insisted that there was “no daylight” between himself and vice -president JD Vance.
In a bilateral press conference with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Hegseeth touched the opportunity that American troops went to Ukraine. In the beginning he seemed to close the idea, but then he didn’t seem to take it completely off the table.
Hegseeth added that he “would never restrict what the President of the United States would be willing to negotiate with the sovereign leaders of both Russia and Ukraine.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseeth delivers a press statement after a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Defense on 14 February 2025 in Warsaw, Poland. (Omar Marques/Getty images)
On Thursday, in an exclusive interview with The Wall Street JournalDance said that the option to send our troops to Ukraine “on the table” remained.
Vance also told the outlet that the US could use “economic tools” or “military tools” against Russia to put an end to the almost three -year war. The Vice President said that President Donald Trump “wants a productive negotiation” with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also teased a deal that ‘many people would shock’.
Vance is in Germany for the safety conference of Munich, where he is expected to meet Zenskyy.
The comments of the Vice President seem to have told against the Ukrainian defense contact group in Brussels earlier this week. In his opening comments to the group, Hegseeth said instead of admitting it Ukraine to NATOSecurity guarantees for the country would be supported “by capable European and non-European troops.” However, he also seemed to completely exclude the possibility of American troops
“To be clear, as part of a security guarantee, no American troops will have been used in Ukraine,” he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseeth gives comments during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Pentagon on 5 February in Arlington, VA. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty images)
Former American ambassador in NATO predicts prospective stakes -furen in Ukraine
During the safety conference of Munich, Senate chairman of the armed services Roger Wicker, R-MS., Told against Politico that he was “surprised” and “disturbed” by Hegseeth’s comments in Brussels.
“Everyone knows … and people in the administration know that you don’t say what you agree with and what you don’t agree with,” Sen said. Wicker to Polico, Classifying Hegseeth’s comments as a “Rookie error.”
President Donald Trump (center), Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zenskyy (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right). (Alessandro Bremec/Nurphoto via Getty Images | Contributors/Getty Images | Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Trump has long talked about the end of the war between Ukraine and Russia, and often claims that it would not have started if he had been in the Oval Office.
On Wednesday, Trump announced That in a “long -term and very productive” phone call Putin agreed to start “immediately” negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump said he asked the State Secretary Marco Rubio, director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz and ambassador and special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations and said he thinks they will “be successful”.
