US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, said Thursday that acknowledging Ukraine’s borders would not go back to what they were in 2014 was “not a concession” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but was a “recognition of the hard power realities on the ground”.

Hegseth briefing after meeting NATO defence ministers in Brussels

US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, said Thursday that acknowledging Ukraine’s borders would not go back to what they were in 2014 was “not a concession” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but was a “recognition of the hard power realities on the ground”.