U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said the United States does not think that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. He added that any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops, which should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission.

"The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. Instead, any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops. If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and they should not be covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact," he said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels on Wednesday.

Hegseth confirmed that there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine.

The Pentagon chief also noted that to further enable effective diplomacy and drive down energy prices that fund the Russian war machine, U.S. President Donald Trump is unleashing American energy production and encouraging other nations to do the same.

"Lower energy prices coupled with more effective enforcement of energy sanctions will help bring Russia to the table," he said.

Hegseth also said that safeguarding European security "must be an imperative for European members of NATO."

"As part of this, Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine," he emphasized.

The Secretary of Defense also stated that spending 2% of GDP on defense is not enough.

"President Trump has called for five percent and I agree. Increasing your commitment to your own security is a down payment for the future, a down payment, as you said, Mr. Secretary, of peace through strength. We're also here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe," he said.

According to Hegseth, the United States faces consequential threats and is focusing on security of its own borders. He added that the United States also face a peer competitor in the communist Chinese.