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New US administration recognizes Russia's military successes in Ukraine — American expert

"US Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s speech in Brussels on February 12, acknowledging the unambiguous reality of Russia’s military accomplishments in Eastern Ukraine, is a further indication of a new realism in American foreign policy," Theodore A. Postol said

WASHINGTON, February 14. /TASS/. The current US administration has recognized Russia's military successes in Ukraine, which is reflected in "new realism in American foreign policy," Theodore A. Postol, Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and National Security Policy Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told TASS.

He was commenting on the telephone conversation between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, as well as the speech on February 12 by Pentagon Chief Piet Hegseth in Brussels.

"US Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s speech in Brussels on February 12, acknowledging the unambiguous reality of Russia’s military accomplishments in Eastern Ukraine, is a further indication of a new realism in American foreign policy," the expert said.

"Anyone who looks at the war in Ukraine should now know that Russia has won, and the priority for everyone involved should now be to stop the unnecessary loss of Russian and Ukrainian lives. The objective should now be to quickly agree to and implement a new European security structure that accommodates the national security interests of all European powers," Postol stressed.

"President Trump’s public comments following his more than one-hour phone conversation with President Putin indicated that the discussion between them went very well. In particular, President Trump’s acknowledgment that Russia has a right to a solid-binding agreement about NATO not expanding into Ukraine is extremely important. It is also an implicit acknowledgment of the damage to Russian-US relations caused by the undeniable history of US past withdrawals from treaties and improper reinterpretations [by Washington] of treaty agreements over the past more than 20 years," Postol said.

Putin and Trump discussed, among other things, the prospects for a settlement in Ukraine by telephone on February 12. According to the Kremlin, Trump called for an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful solution to the problem. Putin mentioned the need to eliminate the underlying causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peaceful negotiations, the press service of the Russian leader said.