Pentagon chief unlikely to announce new military aid for Ukraine during first Europe visit

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will on Wednesday become the first member of the new Trump administration to visit NATO, where the allies are keen to understand how America now plans to influence the course of the war in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.

Hegseth will first take part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO’s Brussels headquarters. Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin set up the main international forum for drumming up arms and ammunition for Ukraine in 2022.

According to the source, over the last three years, around 50 countries have collectively provided Ukraine more than $126 billion in weapons and military assistance. But this week for the first time, the meeting will be convened by another country; the United Kingdom.

No decision has been made on who might chair the next meeting, if one is convened.

A U.S. official said, “Hegseth is not expected to make any announcement on new weapons for Ukraine. He is not set to meet one-on-one with his Ukrainian counterparts but will be in a ‘listening mode’ at the meeting.”