Pentagon chief says Europe must take on greater share of military aid to Ukraine

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that Europe should take responsibility for providing the majority of lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine in the future.

Hegseth emphasised in his speech at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein Group) in Brussels that "safeguarding European security must be an imperative for European members of NATO".

That is why, he added, Europe "must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine".

"This means donating more ammunition and equipment, leveraging comparative advantages, expanding your defence industrial base and, importantly, levelling with your citizens about the threat facing Europe," he said.

Hegseth stated that European countries should follow Poland’s example in defence spending.

Hegseth also said that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is not a realistic goal, and that the US does not consider NATO membership for Ukraine a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement of the war.