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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration expects Europe, not the United States, to lead the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, marking a clear shift in Washington’s stance toward the 76-year-old transatlantic alliance.
The US will continue to meet its obligations to the alliance, Hegseth said in Brussels on Wednesday, but also expects other countries to strengthen their security.
“We are clear about the fact that the most effective deterrents to Russian aggression are: number one, a lethal, capable and European-led NATO, and number two, a combat-credible Ukrainian army that is capable of defending itself and thereby continuing to deter Russian aggression on NATO’s border,” he told a gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which coordinates military support to Kiev. Is.
“If this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, the United States, along with our allies, will take the necessary steps to impose a cost on Russia for its continued aggression. If we must take this step, the U.S. War Department is ready to do its job in ways that only the United States can do,” Hegseth said, using the name of his favorite department, which he leads.
Speaking after remarks by Ukrainian Defense Minister Denis Shmyhal, Hegseth said the US would continue to do its job, but European allies must take primary responsibility for defending the continent. He praised allies for increasing their own defense spending and investment in aid to Ukraine.
The Secretary supported the use of the Priority Ukraine Requirements List initiative, and urged each country in the coalition to contribute to the effort to disarm Kiev, adding that “there should be no free riders.”
He described the initiative to provide arms to Ukraine as “Europe pays, the US provides, NATO provides territory”.
With assistance from Max Ramsay and Andrea Palaciano.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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