GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour."

In a major shift of U.S. foreign policy, President Trump announced today that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to immediately start talks to end the war in Ukraine.

The president also said he believed the two leaders would meet soon.

AMNA NAWAZ: Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined further policy changes, saying Kyiv should not expect to recapture all territory occupied by Russia and that its bid for NATO membership is unrealistic at this time.

Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.

NICK SCHIFRIN: At the headquarters of what U.S. officials consider the world's most important alliance, today, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put the alliance on notice.

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. Defense Secretary: We're also here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.

NICK SCHIFRIN: For decades, the U.S. has deployed tens of thousands of troops to Europe to help guarantee decades-old U.S. policy that Europe be integrated, free and secure.

But Beijing has launched the fastest military modernization in history.

And Hegseth and the Trump administration prioritize securing U.S. borders.

PETE HEGSETH: As the United States prioritizes its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front.

Together, we can establish a division of labor that maximizes our comparative advantages in Europe and Pacific respectively.

NICK SCHIFRIN: On Ukraine, the Biden and first Trump administrations always said publicly, Ukraine deserved all its territory taken by Russia, including Crimea, invaded by Russian soldiers and annexed in 2014.

Today, Russia controls just under 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, land that Hegseth said today was impossible to restore.

PETE HEGSETH: We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine.

But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.

Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Hegseth acknowledged that Ukraine will need long-term security guarantees, but said they would not be provided by NATO.

PETE HEGSETH: The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.

Instead, any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.

If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission, and they should not be covered under Article 5.

NICK SCHIFRIN: To kick-start negotiations today, President Trump first called Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: We had a great call, and it lasted for a long time, over an hour, this morning.

I also had with President Zelenskyy a very good call after that.

And I think we're on the way to getting peace.

I think President Putin wants peace, and President Zelenskyy wants peace, and I want peace.

They have been saying that for a long time, that Ukraine cannot go into NATO.

And I'm OK with that.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In response, Zelenskyy said he was putting his eggs in Trump's basket.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through translator): We believe that America's strength is sufficient to pressure Russia and Putin into peace together with us, together with all our partners.

QUESTION: Do you view Ukraine as an equal member of this peace process?

DONALD TRUMP: It's an interesting question.

I think they have to make peace.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the talks would extend beyond Ukraine.

DMITRY PESKOV, Spokesman for Vladimir Putin (through translator): President Trump spoke in favor of stopping hostilities as soon as possible and resolving the problem by peaceful means.

President Putin, for his part, mentioned the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And as that conflict proceeds, today, the U.S. reduced what Ukraine can hope to expect as negotiations to end the war begin.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.