Defense Secretary Hegseth to Skip NATO Ukraine Aid Meeting, U.S. Pushes for Conflict Resolution
"U.S. Ambassador to NATO to Represent at Brussels Meeting as Ukraine and Russia Engage in Peace Talks
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not participate in the NATO meeting of 50 defense officials in Brussels on Wednesday, which focuses on military aid for Ukraine.
The meeting occurs following a Ukrainian drone strike on Russian airfields on Sunday, which targeted infrastructure related to Russia’s long-range missile operations.
Hegseth’s office attributed his absence to prior scheduling commitments. He is, however, scheduled to attend a separate NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday. Defense Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson stated, “Secretary Hegseth’s travel schedule precluded attendance at tomorrow’s UDCG meeting. The United States remains committed to supporting a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine that fosters lasting stability.”
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker will represent the U.S. at the meeting. In May, Whitaker noted that discussions regarding U.S. troop presence in Europe might occur later this year, with no decisions finalized. During a NATO meeting in February, Hegseth commented that the U.S. military presence in Europe is not intended to be permanent.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will attend a NATO summit in The Hague later this month. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed that Ukraine has been invited to this summit.
Leavitt expressed that President Trump supports efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict through negotiations, aiming to reduce further casualties and end the fighting.
The Trump administration continues to provide weapons and equipment to Ukraine under a $61 billion aid package initiated by former President Joe Biden. However, military aid was temporarily paused following a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late February.
On Monday, Ukraine and Russia held peace talks, agreeing to exchange thousands of deceased and injured soldiers. Russia proposed a plan that includes designating Russian as Ukraine’s official language, capping the size of Ukraine’s military, and requiring Ukraine to refrain from joining NATO. Ukraine has not accepted these terms.
This story originally appeared on Washington Examiner