Hegseth could skip important Ukraine support session

Hegseth could skip important Ukraine support session

The US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels next week. This marks the first time since the group was founded three years ago, in which no high-ranking Pentagon official is represented by the United States, as sources near the matter told CNN.

withdrawal of the USA from the group

The USA has been gradually withdrawing from the UDCG for months, which was launched in 2022 by the former Defense Minister Lloyd Austin to Russia's invasion . The aim of the group is to optimize the delivery of military material to Ukraine to stop the Russian military progress.

changes in the management structure

While Austin or a high-ranking Pentagon representative always led the group's monthly meetings, Hegseth has given this role to the United Kingdom in recent months. This also happened, while a high-ranking US general told the legislators on Thursday that it was "very important" to "support Ukraine every day on the battlefield" to maintain the pressure on Russia.

changes in the US position towards Europe

in February Hegseth took part in a UDCG meeting in the NATO headquarters in Brussels. There he informed the allies that the United States would no longer appear as guarantors for European security and that it was extremely "unlikely" that Ukraine would ever join NATO. This statement presented a dramatic change from the previous US position, which aimed at the fact that the Ukraine would one day join the alliance.

strategies of the Trump administration

The Trump administration has activated its military and intelligence support for Ukraine sporadically and deactivated in the past few months to persuade Kiev to take negotiations. So far, the United States has not imposed Russia, although Moscow has refused to agree to a proposal from the White House for a 30-day ceasefire and continue to provide conditions for a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea.

political tensions and negotiations

Russia was also not on the list of countries on which the Trump administration imposed tariffs this week. Last weekend Trump publicly knighted the Russian President Vladimir Putin and threatened tariffs to countries that buy Russian oil. Days later, however, he temporarily lifted the sanctions against a Russian financier and Putin's familiar to him for talks in Washington, D.C. to receive. This is the first time that a Russian official has traveled to Washington since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russian threats and international reactions

During the Russian negotiator Kirill Dimitriev in Washington, D.C. General Christopher Cavoli, the head of the US European Commander and Commander-in-Chief of NATO, said before the congress that Russia represents a "chronic" and "growing" threat to the United States and the West. Cavoli emphasized that Russia's war in Ukraine, which is now in the fourth year, has revealed Russia as a chronic threat that is willing to use military violence to achieve their geopolitical goals.

skepticism towards the negotiation skills of Russia

US and Western intelligence officers do not believe that Russia is seriously interested in an ceasefire deal with Ukraine, as CNN reported. Moscow believes that it can maintain its war effort and survive Ukraine on the battlefield. A high-ranking NATO official confirmed this on Thursday and said that "Russia continues to believe that time is largely on his side". These concerns illustrate the uncertainty about Putin's intentions and the difficulties in negotiating a ceasefire.