BRUSSELS, Belgium – U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth emphasized the importance of “peace through strength.”
This came in Brussels, where NATO defense ministers met on Wednesday to mobilize additional military support for Ukraine.
“We look forward to achieving peace in Ukraine from a position of strength,” Hegseth said in his speech.
He added, “If there’s one thing we’ve learned during the Trump administration, it’s the effective application of the concept of peace. When you’re strong, you get peace, not when you use strong words or wave your finger.”
He added, “You achieve peace when you have real capabilities that are respected by adversaries, and I think that’s what NATO does.”
More American weapons
In addition, he expressed his expectation that more countries would donate today to support Ukraine and cover the cost of its purchase of American weapons.
For his part, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that NATO needs to learn from the drone intrusion incidents over Poland and find a more efficient way to shoot them down instead of using F-35 fighters.
Speaking to reporters from Brussels, where he was attending a NATO defense ministers’ meeting, he added that his country plans to spend €90 million ($104.60 million) on drones for Ukraine.
He also called for NATO countries to increase their contributions to the package of military equipment and ammunition for Ukraine, known as the “Priority List of Ukrainian Requirements.”
The remarks came as NATO ministers met behind closed doors in Brussels in an attempt to mobilize more military support for Ukraine.
This comes amid a sharp decline in arms and ammunition supplies to the war-torn country in recent months.
The ministers also discussed a call from the NATO commander to lift restrictions on the use of their aircraft and other equipment.
So that it can be used to more effectively defend the alliance’s eastern borders with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
Especially after a series of mysterious drone incidents and airspace violations by Russian warplanes raised concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be testing NATO’s defensive responses.
Some leaders have accused Putin of waging a hybrid war in Europe, while Moscow has denied testing NATO defenses.
Zelensky visits Washington
It’s worth noting that this meeting comes days before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s expected visit to Washington next Friday.
He will discuss the possibility of supplying his country with long-range missiles, including the Tomahawk.
Trump hinted on Tuesday that his country possesses many Tomahawk missiles.
This is a veiled reference to Moscow, which had warned days ago against supplying it to Kyiv.
The US President also reiterated his disappointment with Putin, saying he “doesn’t want to end the war.”
