Democratic Congressman Joe Morelle of New York asked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth whether the U.S. government plans to request funding for military aid to Ukraine next year. The secretary responded that the budget would be cut.

"There will be a reduced budget. As you know, the current administration takes a very different approach to this conflict. We believe that a peace achieved through negotiations is in the interest of both parties and our own country," Hegseth said.

But what exactly constitutes a peaceful solution for both sides and the U.S. government? The Trump administration has yet to define that.

Chair of the Riigikogu National Defense Committee Kalev Stoicescu (Eesti 200) said that Russia is trying to show everyone — including Ukraine — that it will fight to the end. "And it won't settle for anything less than victory — that is, the capitulation of Ukraine and, in essence, the West," Stoicescu said.

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Meelis Kiili, also a member of the National Defense Committee, said that Ukrainians are backed into a corner. "For them, it's a matter of survival. For Russia, it's a matter of the regime's survival," Kiili said.

An existing mineral resources agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. allows Americans to sell military equipment to Ukraine if they choose to do so. At this point, however, it remains unclear whether this so-called peace would mean survival for the Ukrainian people, the survival of Putin's regime or something else entirely.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!