Putin is preparing to declare Russia’s “victory” despite the real state of affairs, – Hegseth

The US Secretary of Defense admitted that Ukraine could return to the 2022 borders.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to announce Moscow’s “victory” in the war against Ukraine, but the reality is different from this statement, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a briefing .

“Putin is preparing to declare ‘victory’ despite the reality of the situation. This can be expected, no matter what the outcome. Fortunately, the courage of the Ukrainians and the allies who stood by them, especially at the beginning of the war, restrained and defeated Putin from achieving what he wanted, which was all of Ukraine,” he said.

Hegseth added that White House chief Donald Trump will also be present at future talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin.

The US Secretary of Defense also said that his job is to “move to realism in the discussion” of the war in Ukraine, talking about the possibility of our country returning to the 2014 borders and joining NATO. However, he did not rule out that Ukraine will be able to return to the 2022 borders before a full-scale Russian invasion.

“Everything is possible. What the borders will look like remains to be seen. I think this is part of the discussions between our president, Zelensky, Putin, and perhaps Europe will also be involved in these discussions,” Hegseth emphasized.

(C)UNIAN 2025