U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will become on Wednesday the first member of the new Trump administration to visit NATO.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered opening remarks at the 26th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels on Wednesday, outlining the Trump administration’s approach to ending the war in Ukraine and emphasizing the need for European allies to take greater responsibility for their own security.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and said it is “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine’s borders to revert to their 2014 status before the annexation of Crimea.

Hegseth held talks with U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey, before a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Hegseth's predecessor, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin,

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says NATO membership for Ukraine is unrealistic. In sweeping remarks Wednesday, Hegseth suggests that the way forward for Ukraine is for the country to abandon

New US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to assume the role of backseat driver in his first in person meeting with European counterparts on Wednesday as the new Trump administration works to shift responsibility for Ukrainian and European security squarely to NATO and the EU.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt message to NATO allies Wednesday: U.S. troops will not be part of any future peace-keeping mission in Ukraine. Nor should NATO's Article 5 protections — under which the U.