At a meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels (Feb. 12, 2025), Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s new U.S. Secretary of Defense, provided a preview of the Trump administration’s approaches to ending the war in Ukraine and the future of NATO.
He indicated that the Trump administration will build upon the successful "peace through strength" national security policies of the first Trump term and revealed some important new policies on the Ukraine War.
Hegseth also had some tough love for America’s NATO allies.
Secretary Hegseth reiterated President Trump’s determination that the bloodshed in Ukraine must stop, and the war must end with a realistic cease-fire plan.
Hegseth said President Trump plans to end the war with diplomacy and by bringing Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the negotiating table.
He said NATO membership for Ukraine is not realistic nor are calls for Ukraine to return to its pre-2014 borders.
Hegseth explained that the Trump administration wants a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. Hegseth also called for a durable peace agreement with robust security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure that the war will not begin again.
The U.S. defense secretary also said security guarantees for Ukraine should be backed by European and non-European troops and raised the idea of deploying peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of such guarantees, the first time a Trump official has proposed this.
However, he was also clear that such peacekeepers would not be a NATO mission, would not be subject to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, and would not include U.S. troops.
Europe taking ownership of the security of Ukraine and the European continent was a key theme of Hegseth’s speech.
The Defense Secretary said safeguarding European security must be an imperative for European members of NATO and, as part of this, Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine.
As part of NATO’s members taking greater responsibility for Europe’s defense, he called for them to expand their defense industrial bases and level with their citizens about security threats facing Europe.
Hegseth said these threats can only be met by greater European defense spending, noting the current NATO spending commitment of a minimum of 2% of GDP is not enough and he endorsed President Trump’s call to raise this to 5%.
The nation's 29th defense secretary indicated President Trump remains committed to the NATO alliance and the defense partnership with Europe.
However, he explained that this relationship must change due to America’s global security commitments and to ensure the alliance is fair to the United States.
He maintains that the U.S. will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship with NATO members that encourages dependency.
Secretary Hegseth said NATO members must recognize that the United States is no longer primarily focused on the security of Europe, that the U.S. has other global security commitments, including the security of our borders.
He knows that a national security priority for the Trump administration will be deterring war with China in the Pacific and ensuring that deterrence to prevent such a war does not fail.
This is why he has heretofore called for a global security division of labor between the U.S. and Europe, with Europe doubling down and recommitting to address Ukraine’s security needs, as well as its long-term defense and deterrence goals.
This means Europe must take ownership of conventional security on the European continent.
Hegseth’s comments on Ukraine were timely because they will set the stage for peace talks to end the Ukraine War by hinting what the Trump administration will push for in a cease-fire or peace agreement.
He also made clear to Europe that the U.S. will no longer carry most of the weight for Ukraine’s defense and that it expects European states to assume this responsibly.
The defense secretary also provided important context for President Trump’s approach to NATO and alliances. Contrary to claims by the president’s critics that he plans to withdraw from this alliance, Hegseth reaffirmed President Trump’s commitment to NATO.
However, he explained that President Trump expects changes to the NATO alliance under which Europe plays the lead in Europe’s defense and is fair to the United States.
President Trump will no longer tolerate NATO members freeloading off the United States on their defense commitments.
By electing Donald J. Trump Nov. 5, 2024, the American people chose a new president to reverse the disastrous national security policies of the Biden administration that made the world considerably more dangerous and unstable.
Secretary Hegseth’s NATO speech provided a glimpse of some of the peace through strength national security policies that the second Trump administration will use to reverse Biden’s disastrous policies and restore global security and peace.
Fred Fleitz is a former CIA analyst and staff member with the House Intelligence Committee. In 2018, he served as the National Security Council Chief of Staff and as a Deputy Special Assistant to President Trump. Read Fred Fleitz's reports — Click Here Now.