3 hours ago
3
US defence secretary
Pete Hegseth said that America would not be taken for 's**kers', emphasising that Europe should manage its own defence and added that everyone should make
Nato
great.
At Nato's Brussels headquarters on Thursday, Hegseth said, "Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle S**ker."
He emphasised Trump's frequent assertion that European allies needed to increase their financial support for the alliance.
"NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future our partners must do far more for Europe's defense. We must make NATO great again," Hegseth also said. He added, "We can talk all we want about values."
"Values are important... But you can't shoot values. You can't shoot flags. And you can't shoot strong speeches. There is no replacement for hard power," he added.
The new Pentagon chief began the press conference by stating that increased European defence spending was essential, as emphasised by the US President. During questions, he dismissed suggestions that Trump would negotiate with Russian President Putin and Zelenskyy from anything but a position of authority.
He argued that Trump possessed the necessary credentials to facilitate peace discussions between Putin and Zelenskyy, aiming to halt casualties whilst ensuring European support.
On Wednesday, Hegseth ruled out Ukraine's NATO membership, a position Trump endorsed during the swearing-in ceremony for his Director of National Intelligence, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
When questioned about the Pentagon chief's assessment of Ukraine's NATO membership being 'unlikely or impractical', Trump confirmed his agreement. "They've been saying that for years, that Ukraine cannot go into NATO, and I'm OK with that," Trump said, expressing his desire for the conflict's conclusion.
