Europe can no longer count on the United States to protect it in the event of a Russian attack, warned Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense in the administration of US President Donald Trump.

In an unexpected message to NATO allies, Hegseth said America would focus its attention on domestic concerns and the threat from China, rather than sending troops to keep the peace in Ukraine, the British newspaper reported. Telegraph.

The Pentagon chief said Europe would have to take responsibility for supporting Ukraine and countering the threat from Russia, while his country would shift its focus to resolving problems with China and securing its internal borders. He also ruled out sending US troops to keep the peace in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

"I am here today to express directly and unequivocally that strategic realities prevent the United States from being the main guarantor of security in Europe," he said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters.

 

#Europe can't rely on # U.S. protection, #Pentagon chief tells # Nato #allies https://t.co/JbtpvH5jt4

— Janice Dash (@Trazlersgal) February 12, 2025

The United States faces significant threats to our homeland. We must and are working to focus on securing our borders. We also face a competitor in China that has the ability and intent to threaten our homeland and key national interests in the Indo-Pacific.

These statements, his first at a NATO meeting since being confirmed as Pentagon chief by Donald Trump, will raise fears among European allies that they could be left alone in facing Russia's renewed military buildup.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reaffirmed Britain's commitment to Ukraine, saying the United Kingdom must put Kiev in the "strongest possible position."

"This is as important as it was at the beginning of this conflict," the British prime minister said.

The US president also outlined demands that would increase NATO's military spending target to five percent of GDP, in order to end Europe's dependence on Washington. Allegations that the US wants to prioritize confrontation with China in the Pacific over European security are likely to worry NATO allies on the continent.

Danish intelligence this week warned that Russia could start a major war in Europe within the next five years. European leaders were already uncertain whether Trump would honor Article 5 of the NATO alliance's founding treaty, which states that a military attack on one ally is considered an attack on all and that they are obligated to respond to the attack.

Washington's demands for increased military spending have put many European countries in an awkward position, including Prime Minister Starmer, who has pledged to increase Britain's defense budget to 2,5 percent of GDP. Governments in Europe are facing tough decisions, including funding defense over health, during a period of economic turmoil that many see as being exacerbated by Trump's threat to impose tariffs.

Pete Hegseth, 44, a US military veteran, said Trump's plan to end the war means Ukraine will not return to its 2014 borders, which included Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Moscow after a 2014 referendum.

More details about the Donald Trump administration's plan to end the war are expected to be announced at the Munich Security Conference in Germany this weekend. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has expressed fears that Trump is keeping him out of the process.