Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., on Newsmax Friday defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has come under fire for appearing to grant Russia multiple concessions ahead of negotiations to end the ongoing war in Ukraine, saying the secretary is working with limited information.

Hegseth said during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday that “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” adding that no U.S. troops will be deployed to Ukraine “as part of any security guarantee.” He also said that Ukraine retaining all of its territory is an unrealistic objective.

On Thursday, Hegseth said that “everything is on the table” during the negotiations despite his earlier remarks.

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.