Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova has said that the Trump administration’s approach to peace talks over Ukraine shows “realism.”

This came after US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth said NATO membership for Ukraine was not a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.

Zakharova said at a Friday news conference in Moscow that it “seems to me that this is more a manifestation of realism.”

Zakharova referred to remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has said that his predecessor Joe Biden was responsible for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and for suggesting that Kyiv could one day join NATO.

“(Trump) said that, in his opinion, the whole story began after the team of Biden began to speculate on the topic of NATO, the inclusion of Ukraine in NATO, and so on. In my opinion, this speaks of realism.”
Maria Zakharova

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine without provocation in February 2022, when NATO membership was a distant prospect.

NATO has an “open door policy,” meaning any country that meets the necessary criteria can apply to join the alliance if they choose to – as Finland and Sweden did in 2023, fearing Russian aggression.

Speaking earlier in Warsaw, Poland, Hegseth said his job has been “to introduce realism to the conversation” by telling Ukrainian and European officials that “the reality is Ukraine membership in NATO as part of a negotiated settlement (is) unlikely.”

Hegseth said that Ukraine and its allies have successfully prevented Russian President Vladimir Putin from achieving the primary goal of his full-scale invasion – capturing the whole of Ukraine.

Asked whether Putin would be “emboldened” by a negotiated settlement that awards him large swaths of Ukrainian territory, Hegseth said that the Russian leader is “going to declare victory no matter what,” but that Putin had fallen far short of his initial military objectives.

“Thankfully the bravery of the Ukrainians and allies that came alongside them, especially early in the war, deterred and defeated Vladimir Putin from achieving what he wanted, which was all of Ukraine.”
Pete Hegseth

He added that whether or not Putin is “emboldened” by a negotiated settlement depends on NATO’s response.

Zelenskyy Labels NATO Membership The Best Security Guarantee For Ukraine

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky said that even though the Trump administration is not ready to talk about his country’s future membership of NATO, it remains the best security guarantee for Ukraine.

Talking with journalists ahead of his meeting later Friday with US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy acknowledged that “today’s America and President Trump are not ready to talk about (Ukrainian membership of) NATO,” adding, “They are openly saying that.”

However, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine still wanted to join the alliance “because of the security guarantees.”

“We trust NATO, we trust these security guarantees. I’m being pragmatic and honest, this is the cheapest option for everyone. If we are not in NATO, and I am openly talking about this, then Ukraine should build with Europe.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy

He noted that that would involve “having the appropriate NATO weapons and the appropriate number of our Ukrainian military.”

The Ukrainian President estimated that his country would need an army of 1.5 million people. “Today, our army, the number of combat brigades is about two times less than the 1.5 million we need,” he stated.

He estimated the current budget for the Ukrainian military at $40 billion, an amount that would have to increase by 50%. “Where is this going to come from?” he asked.

As for a foreign force that would guarantee a ceasefire, Zelenskyy said, “If we are really talking about a serious contingent, we (must) understand how many and where it should be.”