Pentagon chief to travel to EU to call for end to fighting in Ukraine

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth intends to travel to Europe and urge US allies to end the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible. This is stated on the official website of the Pentagon.

According to the publication, the meeting will be held next week in Brussels. At the meeting of the Contact group on defense of Ukraine (UDCG), which will be headed by the UK, Higset intends to reaffirm the commitment of US President Donald Trump to the earliest diplomatic conclusion of the Ukrainian conflict.

It is noted that the head of the US Defense Ministry will emphasize the importance of strengthening alliances and increasing defense readiness. Thus, the US military must remain "lethal" to "demonstrate peace through strength".

In business readiness: Putin assessed the prospects for talks with Trump

Will Russian and US leaders be able to agree on ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and other issues?

The day before, on February 7, Trump announced that he expects to meet next week with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky (whose term expired on May 20, 2024). He also confirmed that he maintains his intention to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier, on February 1, Zelensky said that he expects the start of negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict with the participation of Moscow, Kiev, Washington and Brussels. The Kremlin, in turn, said that the Russian Federation considers the Ukrainian leader's words as empty.

Putin repeatedly reminded that the Russian Federation has never refused from peace talks, but they should be conducted on the basis of the provisions agreed in Istanbul and not on the basis of "ephemeral demands". Also on 28 January, the Russian president specified that "anyone" can negotiate with Russia from the Ukrainian side, but legitimate people should sign documents on the results of the decisions.

The last round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place on March 29, 2022 in Istanbul. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.