U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's attention-grabbing overseas debut may have irritated some key Republicans and alienated allies in Europe, where his statements on Ukraine and NATO went down like a lead balloon.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte briefed reporters on Thursday following a NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in Brussels. Before answering questions, Hegseth told NATO members that they must increase their defense spending from the current 2% of annual GDP.

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

As the new US defense secretary comes to Brussels on his first NATO visit, European allies will express willingness to boost defense spending. But they hope to keep it below the 5% threshold demanded by President Trump.

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 hope

Hegseth urged NATO allies to bolster their defense spending from 2% to 5% of their GDP, noting that the U.S. is attempting to "revive the warrior ethos" as well.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called for NATO’s European members to increase their role in the defense of Europe as the United States focuses on defending the alliance’s Pacific flank. It is a move that he says will likely require European allies to significantly increase defense spending from 2% of GDP to about 5% of GDP.

NATO member states "need to spend more" and "need to have more skin in the game," says US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a visit to Poland. "That is not just a suggestion" from the US, he adds,