Hegseth to push Europe to boost spending on NATO, Ukraine as he visits Brussels

WASHINGTON:  US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to make his first working visit to Europe and urge allies there to jack up defense spe...

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WASHINGTON:  US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to make his first working visit to Europe and urge allies there to jack up defense spending and military assistance to Ukraine, the Pentagon said in a statement on Friday.

"At his first NATO Ministerial with Allied counterparts, he will engage with NATO Allies and partners to discuss the need to boost Allied defense spending, increase European leadership, and expand defense industrial base capacity on both sides of the Atlantic," the statement said.

"At the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, the first to be chaired by the United Kingdom, the Secretary will reiterate President Trump's commitment for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible. He will also highlight the need for increased European leadership on security assistance to Ukraine," it went on to say.

The Pentagon said Hegseth will depart the US on February 10 for a working trip to Germany, Belgium and Poland, to participate, among other things, in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.

The contact group is scheduled to hold its 26th meeting in Brussels on February 12. The Times reported that it will for the first time be led by UK Defense Secretary John Healey. According to the report, US President Donald Trump’s administration has asked London to lead the group of Kiev’s allies.

-News Feed