During a meeting with his counterpart on March 6, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the United Kingdom for "stepping up" in taking a lead among European allies to support Ukraine.
"We are in the middle of a dynamic security environment, where on (the European) continent, President (Donald) Trump is calling on our European allies to take the lead, and you have done just that, sir," Hegseth told U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey during a press briefing in Washington.
Hegseth further commended the U.K. for chairing the latest meeting of the Ukraine defense contact group: "And that's, again, the United Kingdom stepping up," Hegseth added.
Hegseth's comments come amid shifting political dynamics within the United States as the Trump administration has ruled out sending its own troops to Ukraine as a security guarantee for the embattled nation — instead encouraging European allies to take the lead in securing Ukraine's post-war stability.
"You challenged us to step up on Ukraine, on defense spending, on European security. And I say to you that we have, we are, and we will further," Healey responded to Hegseth during the press briefing.
Healey's comments come during the U.K. Defense Secretary's visit to the United States to discuss plans for peace in Ukraine. The meeting occurred as EU leaders were meeting in Brussels to discuss additional support for Ukraine.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 2 that a number of European nations, including the U.K. and France, are developing a 'coalition of the willing' that will include "planes in the air and boots on the ground" in an effort to negotiate a successful ceasefire in Ukraine.
Reuters reported on March 6, citing diplomatic sources familiar with the matter, that France and the U.K. aim to finalize a peace plan with Ukraine "in days" to present to the United States.
The comments from Hegseth come amid a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, with Trump echoing Kremlin narratives and accusing President Volodymyr Zelensky of prolonging the war. In recent days, the United States has significantly distanced itself from Ukraine by halting military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
The move follows a heated exchange in the Oval Office on Feb. 28 in which Zelensky and Trump got into an argument in front of reporters.
Following the tense exchange, European leaders reaffirmed their support for Zelensky and Ukraine on Feb. 28 with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stating that "Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It's up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge."
Dmytro Basmat
(Updated: )
