Defence Secretary John Healey had earlier said welcoming Ukraine into Nato will take “some time”, and the focus “for now” should be on ensuring Kyiv is in a strong position going into any potential peace talks, after the US insisted the country’s membership of the military alliance was not a realistic prospect.
Mr Healey joined more than 50 defence allies from across the world, including from France, Germany and the US, at Nato’s headquarters in the Belgian capital, where he chaired the 26th Ukraine Defence Contact Group summit.
The UK will continue to support Ukraine’s defence against Russia, the Deputy Prime Minister signalled after Donald Trump claimed he and Vladimir Putin had agreed to start negotiations on ending the war.
Mr Trump’s call with the Russian president came just hours after Mr Zelensky warned “Putin is not preparing for peace” and called for unity from Ukraine’s allies.
Addressing defence ministers at the meeting, Mr Hegseth indicated that Washington is intent on getting Europe to carry most of the financial and military burden of defending Ukraine.
