WASHINGTON, June 10. /TASS/. Washington’s NATO allies should take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense and deterrence of Russia, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said.
"President Trump and his administration have told our NATO allies that they must step up and take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense - and we are already seeing progress," he said during hearings in the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. "Our strategy is one of common sense: our NATO allies have the economic strength to deter Russia, and our own resources are increasingly strained. As we shift our focus to the Pacific, we are counting on our NATO allies to devote more resources to defense to forge a strong shield of deterrence in Europe."
"Our NATO allies taking primary responsibility for Europe’[s conventional defense is vital and it is overdue," Hegseth continued. "Not just as a matter of fairness to American taxpayers who are tired of freeriding, but to ensure that NATO remains a strong and sustainable alliance, even as US forces prioritize defending our nation’s homeland and deterring China. This is how we can restore and sustain peace through strength in Europe for the coming generations."
Hegseth warned in late April that the United States can no longer be the guarantor of Europe’s security.
Speaking in February in Brussels at a regular meeting of the Western contact group responsible for coordinating arms deliveries to Kiev, Hegseth emphasized that a return to Ukraine's 2014 borders was unrealistic. He also effectively ruled out the possibility of Ukraine's admission to NATO, warning Europe that it should be responsible for its own security, echoing the sentiments of Trump himself and other administration officials. In addition, the US defense official said that the Trump administration does not foresee the US withdrawing from NATO, but will not tolerate a situation where Europe is essentially dependent on Washington. Then, on April 9, Hegseth specified that the United States has not yet made a decision as to further US troop levels in Europe, noting that how negotiations between Moscow and Washington turn out will be a large determining factor.