The Trump administration expects Europe, not the US, to lead the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, marking an apparent shift in Washington’s stance toward the 76-year transatlantic alliance.
The US will continue to fulfill its obligations to the alliance, Hegseth said Wednesday in Brussels, but also expects other countries to bolster their own defenses.
“We remain clear-eyed about the fact the most effective deterrents to Russian aggression are: number one, a lethal, capable, and European-led NATO, and number two, a combat-credible Ukrainian military able to defend itself and thereby continue to deter Russian aggression along NATO’s border,” he said at a gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which coordinates military support to Kyiv.
“If this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression. If we must take this step, the US War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do,” Hegseth said, using his preferred name for the department he leads.
Speaking after remarks from Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, Hegseth said the US will continue to do its part, but that European allies must take primary responsibility for the defense of the continent. He praised the allies for increasing their investments in their own defense spending and in aid to Ukraine.
The secretary endorsed the use of the Priority Ukraine Requirements List initiative, and urged every country in the alliance to contribute to the effort to arm Kyiv, saying there should be “no free riders.”
He described the initiative to provide weapons to Ukraine as “Europe pays, the US provides, NATO fields.”
With assistance from Max Ramsay and Andrea Palasciano.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
About the Author
