New Pentagon chief says US will not send troops to Ukraine

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has confirmed that the United States will not send troops to Ukraine, stressing that President Donald Trump hopes for a quick peace deal.

The US Secretary of Defense was asked whether the new administration would be open to sending US troops to Ukraine, in particular, to monitor the supply of weapons. Hegseth answered tersely: "We are not sending American troops to Ukraine," he said during a conversation with journalists in Stuttgart.

He also noted that President Trump is committed to a quick agreement to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.

On 12 February, Hegseth will take part in a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defence, known as the Ramstein format. According to media reports, he will not announce new arms supplies for Ukrainian soldiers.

The Pentagon chief is expected to reaffirm President Trump's commitment to a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.