Pentagon chief says US will not deploy troops – as part of any peacekeeping mission – to Ukraine

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that a possible peacekeeping mission that could be deployed in Ukraine as part of security guarantees would not include US troops.

He stated this at the beginning of the meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group in Brussels, Ukrinform reports, according to Telegraph.

"Any security guarantee must be supported by capable European and non-European troops. If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers in Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and should not be covered by Article 5," the Pentagon chief said.

He added: "There will be no American troops deployed in Ukraine."

Read too US Defense Secretary Hegseth: Ukraine cannot return to 2014 borders

At the same time, Hegseth stressed that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an "unrealistic objective," adding that "pursuing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering."

"A lasting peace for Ukraine must include strong security guarantees to ensure that war does not start again. This must not be Minsk 3.0," the US Secretary of Defense said.

As reported, a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group is taking place in Brussels. /Telegraph/