Troop deployments to Ukraine and defence funding are on the agenda — two issues where extraordinary events are forcing significant shifts. Here, Belgium’s defence minister leans into boots on the ground,

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, greets U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Feb. 18,

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius attends a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on the eve of a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 12,

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is "unrealistic." He also cast doubt on Ukraine's NATO membership prospects and suggested that Kyiv should consider a negotiated settlement with Russia backed by an international peacekeeping force.

Speaking at a NATO meeting in Belgium, the defense secretary said the U.S. would no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship with its allies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on the eve of a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 12,

Hegseth made the initial comment during a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, clearly stating that the U.S. "does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.

Obama officials and Trump critics are up in arms after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a return to the Eastern European country's pre-war borders with Russia is "unrealistic." Hegseth, speaking to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium on Wednesday,

European Council President Antonio Costa, left, greets U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg prior to a meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Tuesday, Feb. 18,