The nominee for the position of United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, did not mention the war in Ukraine during his confirmation hearing.
Following his opening statement, Senator Angus King pointed out that Hegseth prioritized working with partners to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, but did not bring up Ukraine or Russia. He asked if this meant that the U.S. wanted to abandon Ukraine. Hegseth responded:
"That is a political decision at the presidential level. He has made it clear that he would like to see an end to this conflict. We know who the aggressor is. We know who the good guys are. We would like this to be as beneficial as possible for the Ukrainians, but this war needs to end."
In response, the senator noted that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is closely monitoring the actions of the United States. "If we abandon Ukraine, it will be a strong signal to Xi Jinping that he can seize Taiwan without significant resistance from the U.S.," King added.
Hegseth remarked that, despite the failure of deterrence, Ukraine has managed to repel Russia's attempts to swiftly capture it and halted the advance of enemy troops in the eastern part of the country. Now, this conflict has turned into a war of attrition.
According to The New York Times, during the hearings, the Trump-appointed candidate also emphasized the need to restore the country's industrial base. He stated that the U.S. is learning from the war in Ukraine, and therefore the Pentagon must find ways to quickly implement new drone weaponry.
Moreover, Hegseth promised to reassess the allocation of military resources and recommend investments that would help protect American interests and prevent situations similar to the onset of the war in Ukraine in 2014.
Trump Promises to End the War
As is well-known, before the elections, the American politician claimed he could negotiate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia within a day. This has yet to happen.
Now he plans to hold a meeting with Kremlin leader Putin. According to media reports, his plan includes deploying foreign military contingents along the line of demarcation.