European NATO countries must provide overwhelming aid to Ukraine – U.S. SecDef

This was stated by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

“Safeguarding European security must be an imperative for European members of NATO. As part of this, Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine,” Hegseth said.

According to him, this includes supplying more ammunition and equipment, leveraging comparative advantages, and expanding defense production.

The Pentagon chief also stressed the importance of informing European citizens about the threats facing the continent. “Part of this is speaking frankly with your people about how this threat can only be met by spending more on defense,” he stressed.

“Two percent (of GDP on defense spending) is not enough. President Trump has called for five percent, and I agree,” Hegseth added.

He emphasized that this would be the first step toward ensuring “peace through strength.”

At the same time, the U.S. Secretary of Defense acknowledged that “stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.”

“The United States faces the consequential threats to our homeland. We must and are focusing on the security of our own borders. We also face a peer competitor in the communist Chinese with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific,” Hegseth emphasized.

He stated that Trump administration believes in a fair “division of labor” to maximize NATO’s overall advantages in both Europe and the Pacific.

However, Hegseth acknowledged the positive steps already taken by some European NATO members.

“Sweden recently announced its largest ever assistance package… Poland is spending five percent of its GDP on defense already, which is a model for the continent, and 14 other countries are co-leading capability coalitions,” the Secretary of Defense said.

He once again urged European nations to commit not only to Ukraine’s immediate security needs but also to Europe’s long-term defense and deterrence goals.

For the Alliance’s future stability, European allies must “step into the arena and take ownership of conventional security on the continent,” Hegseth stated.

He emphasized that while the U.S. remains committed to NATO and defense partnerships, I “will no longer tolerate an unbalanced relationship which encourages dependency; rather, our relationship will prioritize empowering Europe to own responsibility for its own security.”

Hegseth added that President Trump looks forward to continued cooperation to hold “frank discussions amongst friends and achieve peace through strength together.”

As reported by Ukrinform, at the beginning of the UDCG meeting in Brussels on February 12, Pete Hegseth stated that the U.S. would not send its troops to Ukraine in the event of a peacekeeping mission under potential security guarantees for the country.