Hegseth won’t attend Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels

Source: Meduza

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend Wednesday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Politico reported.

Hegseth also won’t join the meeting virtually, according to the Associated Press, which cited an unnamed official.

According to Politico, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker will join the meeting instead. Hegseth is still expected to participate in the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on June 5.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said Hegseth would not be able to attend the meeting of Ukraine’s allies due to scheduling conflicts. “The United States is focused on ending the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible, on terms that establish an enduring peace,” she added.

As the AP notes, Hegseth’s absence from the meeting is “the latest in a series of steps that the U.S. has taken to distance itself from the Ukraine war effort.”

This will mark the first time in three years that a U.S. defense secretary has missed a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. The group was launched in April 2022 by Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin. It includes representatives from more than 50 countries, including all NATO members and most E.U. states.

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Hegseth won’t attend Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels

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Hegseth won’t attend Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels

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