US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has left for Europe, on his first international trip since taking office last month.
Mr. Hegseth departed from Andrews Air Force Base, outside Washington, early Monday, for stops in Germany, Belgium and Poland.
In Germany, the Secretary of Defense is expected to visit the headquarters of the United States European Command and the United States Africa Command to learn about the latest developments in these two regions. From Germany, Hegseth will travel to Brussels, where he will participate in a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers and a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine on Wednesday and Thursday.
American defense officials say Mr. Hegseth is expected to pressure the United States' allies in Europe to increase their defense spending and take a greater leadership role on the security challenges facing Europe, A2 writes.
He is also expected to echo President Donald Trump's call for a diplomatic end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, which will soon enter its third year.
The meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, a group of almost 50 countries that have pledged to support Ukraine in its efforts to push back against Russia, is the first since the start of President Trump's new term and the first not to be led by the United States.
This week's meeting, the 26th, will be led by Britain.
Britain's Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Thursday that the meeting would focus on "priorities for Ukraine as the international community continues to work together to support Ukraine in its fight against Putin's illegal aggression."
The Pentagon said in a statement that at this meeting, Mr. Hegseth will emphasize President Trump's commitment to a diplomatic solution to the war and "will also underscore the need for increased European leadership in military assistance to Ukraine."
Following the meetings in Brussels, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to Poland to meet with the country's leaders and visit US troops there.
It is worth noting that the Defense Secretary said he was skipping the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, which is considered one of the "world's leading forums for discussing international security policies," which begins on Friday.
"We are not going to the Munich Security Conference," Mr. Hegseth told defense officials and troops at a meeting last Friday at the Pentagon.
"We're going to Poland to visit our troops there and we're going to Germany to visit our European Command and our Africa Command," he said. "I'd rather talk to the troops than attend a cocktail party. That's my job," he said.
At the Munich Security Conference, the United States will be represented by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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