BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said NATO rank for Ukraine was unrealistic and successful sweeping remarks suggested that the mode guardant for Ukraine was for the state to wantonness hopes of a instrumentality to its pre-2014 borders and hole for a negotiated colony with Russia — 1 that should beryllium backed up with an planetary unit of troops.

Hegseth made the comments Wednesday during the archetypal travel to NATO and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group by a subordinate of the caller Trump administration. Allies person been waiting to perceive however overmuch continued subject and fiscal enactment Washington intends to supply to Ukraine’s government.

What they heard was that President Donald Trump is intent connected getting Europe to presume the bulk of the fiscal and subject responsibilities for the defence of Ukraine — to see a imaginable peacekeeping unit that would not see U.S. troops — and that Hegseth said should not person Article Five protections if those troops extremity up successful interaction with Russian forces.

“Members of this interaction radical indispensable conscionable the moment,” Hegseth said to the assembled radical pf astir 50 subordinate countries who person been providing enactment to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth connected Wednesday made the archetypal travel to NATO by a subordinate of the caller Trump administration, arsenic the allies hold to larn however overmuch subject and fiscal enactment Washington intends to supply to Ukraine’s government.

Hegseth held talks with U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey, earlier a gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group astatine NATO office successful Brussels. Hegseth’s predecessor, erstwhile Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, acceptable up the forum for drumming up arms and ammunition for Ukraine successful 2022.

Over astir 3 years, astir 50 countries person collectively provided Ukraine much than $126 cardinal successful weapons and subject assistance. But the gathering this week was convened by different state for the archetypal time: the United Kingdom. All erstwhile gatherings of the forum were chaired by the United States.

No determination has been made connected who mightiness seat the adjacent meeting, if 1 is called.

Hegseth wasn’t expected to marque immoderate announcement connected caller weapons for Ukraine.

His travel comes little than 2 weeks earlier the 3rd day of Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine connected Feb. 24, 2022. Most U.S. allies fearfulness that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t halt astatine Ukraine’s borders if helium wins, and that Europe’s biggest onshore warfare successful decades poses an existential menace to their security.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to rapidly extremity the war. He’s complained that it’s costing American taxpayers excessively overmuch money. He has suggested that Ukraine should wage for U.S. enactment with entree to its uncommon world minerals, vigor and different resources.

Some U.S. allies interest that a hasty woody mightiness beryllium clinched connected presumption that aren’t favorable to Ukraine. On apical of that, Trump appears to judge that European countries should instrumentality work for Ukraine’s information going forward.

Washington’s 31 NATO allies besides privation to perceive what Trump’s caller medication has successful store for the world’s biggest information organization. Trump traumatized his European partners during his archetypal word successful bureau by threatening not to support immoderate subordinate that doesn’t conscionable NATO guidelines for subject spending.

NATO is founded connected the rule that an onslaught connected immoderate state indispensable beryllium considered an onslaught connected them each and met with a corporate response. Membership is considered to beryllium the eventual information guarantee, and it’s 1 that Ukraine is trying to secure.

Ukraine’s information needs and defence spending volition beryllium discussed connected Thursday. European allies person hiked their subject budgets since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine, and 23 are estimated to person reached oregon exceeded past twelvemonth the people of spending 2% of gross home product.

However, a 3rd of members inactive haven’t reached that threshold, and Trump is astir definite to people them again. Recently, Trump called for NATO members to summation defence spending to 5% of GDP, a level that nary subordinate has reached truthful acold — not adjacent Poland, which is the closest, spending much than 4% and expected to attack 5% this year.

Speaking to reporters successful Germany connected Tuesday, Hegseth wouldn’t perpetrate to having the U.S. summation its defence spending to 5% of GDP. Hegseth said that helium believes that the U.S. should walk much than it did nether the Biden medication and “should not spell little than 3 percent.”

He said immoderate last determination would beryllium up to Trump, but added that “we unrecorded successful fiscally constrained times” and request to beryllium liable with payer money. The U.S. spends astir 3.3% of GDP connected defense.

NATO leaders are expected to hold connected caller spending targets astatine their adjacent planned summit, successful The Hague, Netherlands, connected June 24-26.

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Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this study from Washington.