NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, British Secretary of Defense John Healey and Turkish Ambassador to NATO Zeki Zeki Levent Gumrukcu attended NATO Secretary of Defense A family photo at a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers at the Brussels Union headquarters on February 13.
Yves Herman | Reuters
As the world’s defense and security elites gather for the Munich Security Conference, the future of Ukraine, peace negotiations with Russia and the reshaping of European security and defense buildings will be early in the discussion.
Senior U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian and Russia’s special envoy Keith Kellogg, were among the representatives who headed to Germany on Friday to participate in the two-day defense and security sector’s most notable figures.
The summit comes days after the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump. Russia and Ukraine have agreed to start peace talksand he had instructed U.S. officials to start negotiations immediately.
The essence of these conversations, and what conditions and compromises in Moscow and Kyiv and the United States may be part of these negotiations, will be the focus of the MSC representatives.
It remains to be seen the role that Europe will play in the discussion, despite Ukraine’s insistence that its strongest allies are included in the negotiations.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ahead of Trump’s peace talks on Wednesday Returning to Ukraine’s borders before 2014 and NATO membership in Ukraine is an “unrealistic” goal.
He also called for “capable European and non-European military” to support any security assurances in Ukraine and stressed that U.S. troops would not be deployed to the country. He added that any peacekeeping mission in Ukraine should not involve NATO.
Analysts say Europe faces a stronger choice and takes more responsibility for Ukraine’s defense, ultimately its own security.
“President Trump succumbed to Putin’s charm and historical narrative and would end most of the U.S. military involvement in the Ukrainian Russian War. There was no previous discussion with allies. It seemed as if the “Ironclad’s promise” never existed,” David Roche said . , a strategist in quantum strategy.
“The impact on NATO has been working hard. At present, the U.S. support for NATO continues, but paradoxically, European security must be led by Europeans. In short, Europe no longer relies on NATO and must establish its own defense – It’s an expensive exercise,” he said in an email comment.
NATO wake up call
Trump has long criticized Europe’s NATO allies for insufficient spending on defense and called on member states to increase their funds to 5% of GDP, a demand that Defense Secretary Hegseth supported on Wednesday.
Just like things Only 23 of NATO’s 32 members reached the 2% targetAccording to NATO’s estimates of defense spending in 2024.
Some analysts defended the Trump administration’s position, saying his Ukrainian “America First” plan may be a wake-up call for Europe.
“While Europe tries to isolate Putin, Trump is engaged. The productive call between the two will anger European politicians – but what should they do unless they are ready to fund Ukraine’s struggle for freedom? ” Bill Blain, market strategist Bill Blain and founder of Wind Shift Capital, noted in an email comment Thursday.
“Europe is a problem for Europe, Ukraine is part of Europe… While Trump’s US betrayal of Ukraine will have a lot of wailings and his unreliability to Europe, maybe it’s ‘wake up and smelling coffee‘ Europe needs moments,” Brian said, adding: “Ukrainian peace will be a problem for Europe. ”
Europe leaves Trump’s reel
Ukraine’s allies in Europe appear to have unilateral actions against Trump forced peace talks against Ukraine and Russia, while senior officials on the continent fear they will stay off the court.
EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that any agreement behind the group “will not work” and that if Keefe decides to “boycott” A, the group will design a “new plan” to support it Ukrainian deal. She did not provide any more details on what these might be.
“Any quick solution is a dirty deal,” Karas said in a comment reported by Reuters.
Before NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Heggs denied the allegation that the United States appears to betray Ukraine.
“There is no betrayal there. People recognize that the whole world and the United States are committed and interested in peace.
Participated in the competition as a detailed view of the Spanish and Bulgarian armed forces during the NATO exercise staunch darts held on 13 February 2025 in Tsrancha, Bulgaria.
Hristo Rusev | Getty Images News | Getty Images
European officials also criticized the Trump administration’s gloomy stance on future NATO members of Ukraine and the possibility of losing all of Russia’s territory since 2014.
“It’s a pity, I personally say, but it’s part of the facts. The Trump administration has already faced Putin before the negotiations begin,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Thursday. Public concessions were made.”
“I think it’s better to talk about possible NATO membership in Ukraine or the possibility that the country will lose territory at the negotiating table first, rather than taking it off the table beforehand,” Pistorius added in a comment translated by Reuters.
