Hegseth says NATO allies must be primarily responsible for defending Europe

14/2/2025 6:09

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete

Hegseth rejected criticism on Thursday of Washington's

negotiating strategy with Russia on the war in Ukraine and

warned Europe against treating America like a "sucker" by making

it responsible for its defense.



"Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to

turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker,'" Hegseth told a press

conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.



Europe should be primarily responsible for defense on the

European continent, he said.



In his overseas debut after taking charge of the Pentagon on

Jan. 24, Hegseth has set off a storm of criticism in Europe

after announcing on Wednesday that a return to Ukraine's

pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and the Trump administration

does not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to

the war triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion.



Hegseth's critics say the remarks amounted to the United

States giving up its leverage in negotiations with Russia before

they even started, in what they described as a major victory for

Russian President Vladimir Putin.



Hegseth on Thursday defended his remarks as acknowledgement

of battlefield realities and left the door open for U.S. moves

during negotiations that could be seen as concessions, including

on issues like U.S. supplies to Ukraine and troop levels in

Europe.



"I think it would be fair to say that things like future

funding, either less or more, could be on the table in

negotiations," he told reporters, adding he would not get ahead

of U.S. President Donald Trump.



Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday and told

U.S. officials to begin talks on ending the nearly

three-year-long war.



Trump's unilateral overture to Putin, accompanied by

apparent concessions on Ukraine's principal demands, raised

alarm for both Kyiv and the European allies in NATO who said

they feared the White House might make a deal without them.



"We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to

accept any agreements without us," Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelenskiy told reporters in Ukraine.



European officials took a firm line in public towards

Trump's peace overture, saying any agreement would be impossible

to implement unless they and the Ukrainians were included in

negotiating it.



"Any quick fix is a dirty deal," European foreign policy

chief Kaja Kallas told reporters at NATO headquarters earlier in

the day.



Hegseth rejected the idea that he was undermining NATO or

European security.



"NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense

alliance in history, but to endure for the future our partners

must do far more for Europe's defense. We must make NATO great

again," he said.