Europe must ‘own’ security for itself, U.S. defence head tells NATO

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he also believed NATO membership for Ukraine was not realistic, nor was the country regaining its pre-2014 borders.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO on Wednesday that while the U.S. “remains committed” to the military alliance, it is prioritizing its own security and preventing conflict with China.

Hegseth told NATO allies in Brussels that Europe would need to take on more responsibility in “safeguarding European security.”

“The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defence partnership with Europe. Full stop,” Hegseth said.

“But the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency. Rather, our relationship will prioritize empowering Europe to own responsibility for its own security.”

That security includes Ukraine.

Many allies have been waiting for clarity on how much military and financial support Washington will continue to provide the Ukrainian government under President Donald Trump‘s administration.

Instead, NATO officials and members were told they would have to take on more responsibility.

Hegseth said Europe would need to provide the “overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine.”