this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2025
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Summary

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that restoring Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is “unrealistic,” signaling a shift in U.S. policy toward negotiated settlements.

Speaking at NATO headquarters, he argued that pursuing full territorial recovery would prolong the war and emphasized the need for security guarantees without NATO membership or U.S. troops in Ukraine.

Hegseth outlined Trump’s approach of reducing Russian war funding through increased U.S. energy production while shifting more military support responsibility to Europe.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Agreed! Ukraine should keep all that Russian land they conquered.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

Trump is all about shifting defense responsibility onto Europe but isn’t it the case that the US proactively claimed responsibility for defense of virtually every sphere where it has interests? We have the largest military in the world by FAR and bases everywhere, and have allowed others to spend less on defense because we want to be the ones with the big stick. It’s a little ironic for Trump to complain that everyone has allowed us to pursue this policy we have been driving for decades.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

"Putin's puppet administration says NATO should cede everything to Putin, news at 11."

[–] [email protected] 17 points 18 hours ago

I'm surprised he can say anything with Putin's dick that far down his throat.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

The problem is - while he might not be wrong, simply because it’s unlikely that Russia would accept a total territorial loss at the negotiation table - ceding anything to the Russian imperialists is an invitation to keep pushing.

The truth is that the US of course do not care about the Ukraine as a sovereign entity. They care only about maintaining their own geopolitical interests.

On the other hand do I doubt that Russia is interested in merely maintaining their territorial gains - maybe as a special zone of some sort - if that would mean that the Ukraine would pursue a proper membership in NATO.

So what we will likely see is that Russia will want to maintain or increase their presence in eastern Ukraine, maintain Crimea and want assurances that Ukraine will remain a neutral buffer state.

Leading to the Ukraine being screwed over either way.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

It's just "Ukraine". "The Ukraine" implies that it's a territory and not the name of an independent country.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

Technically it’s both, given the etymology of the word. Just as you say ‘The United States of America’ or ‘The Republic of Congo’.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Except it's not like that. "The Ukraine" is how it was referred to when it was part of Russia. "Ukraine" is correct.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

You might want to look up the historic usage. And I don’t mean the slavic etymology nor soviet russia. It has been named both until the article became a politicized matter. So if you want to object to me accidentially implying I would not affirm the independence of Ukraine as a country, then I understand that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I have looked it up. That's why I'm correcting you.

The country changed it in 1991, which is the year they got their independence.

"Ukraine" means "borderland". Adding "the" in front of it makes it descriptive: the borderland of a larger nation. Removing the "the" makes it a name, which it is, because it's its own country.

I don't correct people unless I've already looked it up. And I don't continue the conversation without looking it up again. Just say "Ukraine".

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Given how you seem to need justifying your correction, I wonder what’s the point of it in the first place. I have used the term both with and without the article, obviously disregarding the political implications I am aware of.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Why would you disregard the political implications?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Because the content of my post already makes it clear that my position and perspective is on the side of Ukraine. I am not a diplomat, nor a politician nor a political speaker. Political correctness serves no point in my post and therefore was not relevant over my linguistic idiosyncrasies.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

They care only about maintaining their own geopolitical interests.

That used to be the case. Now the US only cares about whatever Trump wants, AKA whatever Putin told him he wants.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 19 hours ago

Any time anyone says something like OP did, I imagine them in front of a whiteboard trying to explain to themselves how the US of today is the same US as last month.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Russia may want a pause of several years to allow Ukraine’s arms support relationships with the West to expire, whereupon it would attack again, this time informed by everything that went wrong in this recent war.

I dunno. Maybe? It’s just a thought.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

They won't expire, there is a literal brand new Rheinmetall factory in Ukraine.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Along with geopolitical interests, the US is interested in Ukraine’s natural resources.

https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/09/16/senator-lindsey-graham-ukraine-trillion-minerals/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

If the US is not helping, they should fuck all the way off.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Damn the US sure seems impotent and weak these days if they can't even restore boundaries from just ten years ago.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

They just lost the cold war.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 19 hours ago

~~Pete Hegseth~~ Putin tells NATO...

[–] [email protected] 16 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

What was his BAC at the time?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 21 hours ago

At this point in his miserable attempt at a life, his alcohol has no blood...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Oh come on, if you're going to shake UA down for 500B in rare earths the least you can do is a li'l reacharound while fucking them in the ass. Stay classy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 19 hours ago

You'd think Zekensky would give him that amount in relation to the amount of land liberated.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 20 hours ago

What his opinion after he loosens up with a gallon of vodka or 2?