"NATO must be an even more lethal force." This is what the new Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegseth, said on his first visit to Europe. Present at the Brussels Summit on the war in Ukraine, the Pentagon Chief called on NATO to change course.
"NATO should be a stronger, more lethal force – not a diplomatic club," he wrote in X.
The new Pentagon chief is in Brussels for his inaugural visit. He was scheduled to attend a meeting of defense ministers from more than 50 countries that support Ukraine at NATO headquarters in the afternoon.
The so-called contact group is meeting for the first time under British leadership after the US under President Donald Trump withdrew from its leadership. On Tuesday, Hegseth visited US military bases in Germany. There he announced that he wanted to speak “clearly” with NATO allies.
President Donald Trump is "right" to demand defense investments of five percent of gross domestic product (GDP) from Europeans, the new Pentagon chief said in Stuttgart. Europe itself should contribute the most to the defense of its neighborhood, he said, referring to Ukraine.
Hegseth dismissed fears of a withdrawal of about 100,000 US troops from Europe. "There are currently no plans in preparation to cut anything," he stressed.
However, the US wanted to "reassess its military presence around the world" so that it could focus more on China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
Hegsesh also announced that the United States will not send military troops to Ukraine. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources told the International News Agency Reuters that the Trump administration plans to urge European allies to buy more American weapons for Ukraine ahead of possible peace talks with Moscow, a move that could improve Kiev's negotiating position.
The plan, if formalized, would offer some reassurance to Ukrainian leaders, who have worried that President Donald Trump might block further aid to the country, whose military has been slowly losing territory under a fierce Russian offensive in the east. European countries had previously purchased American weapons for Ukraine during the Biden administration. (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
