Pete Hegseth says America will focus on domestic concerns and the threat of China over sending peace-keeping troops to Ukraine
Europe can no longer count on the United States to come to its defence if Russia attacks, Pete Hegseth warned Nato allies on Wednesday.
The firebrand US secretary of defence said the Continent would have to step up to support Ukraine and confront the threat of Russia as his country shifts its focus to tackling China and securing its domestic borders.
He also ruled out sending US troops to help keep the peace in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
“I’m …. here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being the primary guarantor of security in Europe,” he told a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Nato headquarters.
“The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland.
“We must – and we are – focusing on securing our own borders. We also face a peer competitor in China with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific.”
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, is an army veteran
Credit: Johanna Geron/EPA-EFE
The remarks, his first at a Nato meeting since being confirmed as Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief, will spark fears amongst European allies that they could be left on their own in the face of a resurgent Russia.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to Ukraine, saying the UK must put Kyiv in the “the strongest possible position”.
This matters “just as much as it mattered at the beginning of this conflict”, the Prime Minister added.
The US president has also tabled demands that would see Nato military spen
