Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a conference of the approximately 50 countries that support the beleaguered nation on Monday, just days after President Trump changed his stance on Ukraine.
The British and German defense ministers presided over the virtual gathering.
Known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the group was established by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III during the Biden administration. However, Mr. Hegseth has mostly stayed out of it, handing it over to Britain soon after Mr. Trump took office in January.
Mr. Hegse chose to call in when the contact group convened in person at NATO headquarters in April. In June, he did not attend the subsequent meeting.
After Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, Mr. Trump first had strong doubts about the United States providing military assistance to the country. However, this week he threatened to impose a fresh wave of punitive penalties on Russia if it failed to reach a peace agreement within 50 days and stated that the United States would assist Europe in sending more weaponry to Ukraine.
Regarding Mr. Hegseth’s participation in Monday’s meeting, a Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on Monday. In a response, the Defense Department stated it would not comment on internal administration-partner country negotiations.
Speaking on condition of anonymity before to the internal planning meeting, a senior U.S. official stated that the United States anticipated that a number of nations would pledge to buy more guns, ammunition, and equipment to send to Ukraine.
The American-made Patriot and the interceptor missiles they fire, which are effective against Russian ballistic and cruise missiles, are two examples of the air defense systems that Ukrainian leaders have stated are desperately needed.
Russia has deployed waves of drones and missiles into Ukraine almost every night in recent weeks.
Although the Patriots were supposed to be discussed at Monday’s contact group, the official stated that a separate meeting devoted to them will take place later this week, possibly on Wednesday.
Tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons from the Pentagon’s arsenal were donated to Ukraine by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. However, Mr. Trump has stated that the US will sell military equipment to nations that back Ukraine, who would then supply it to defend against Russian strikes.
Last Monday, Switzerland declared that it had received information that the US was rerouting five Patriot systems that the Swiss had previously purchased from Raytheon.
Instead, it is anticipated that Germany and Norway will purchase those Patriots in order to rebuild their stocks and supply Ukraine with some as well.
According to a statement by its government, Switzerland had anticipated starting to get the equipment in 2027. Whether a complete Patriot battery—which consists of a radar, a control station, launchers, and missiles—is prepared for shipment is unclear. However, some individual components, like the launchers, may be.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated earlier this month that Germany and Norway were willing to purchase Patriots for Ukraine’s war effort if Mr. Trump gave his approval, just hours before he unveiled the new arms transfer policy.
Mr. Zelensky spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about further German arms assistance to Ukraine. Following their conversation, Mr. Merz said reporters, “We are prepared to buy more Patriot systems from the U.S.A. to make them available to Ukraine.”
According to European officials, Germany has volunteered to purchase two systems and Norway a third.
Lara Jakes helped with the reporting.