Pentagon chief absent from crucial Ukraine defence summit
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will not participate in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, reports the Associated Press. This is the first such occurrence since the group's formation.
What do you need to know?
- The meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group will occur on 4 June in Brussels.
- Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will not participate in the summit.
- This will be the first meeting without the presence of the US Secretary of Defence.
The 28th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group will be held on 4 June at NATO headquarters in Brussels. This body was established by former US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in 2022.
Successor to Austin, Pete Hegseth continued to participate in the group. On 12 February, he took part in the meeting, but no longer as the chair. On 11 April, Hegseth participated in the summit remotely.
First such situation: Hegseth will be absent
As reported by the Associated Press, Hegseth will not participate in the meeting. He will not be coming to Brussels until the conference concludes and will not join the event online. If this situation materialises, it will be the first meeting of about 50 Kyiv allies in the so-called Ramstein format without the Pentagon chief's participation.
The United Kingdom and Germany will chair the summit on 4 June. It is taking place at a time when Russia continues to reject a ceasefire and is reportedly preparing new offensives against Ukraine.
Ukraine has appealed to its partners to increase investments in arms production and provide additional air defence resources, particularly Patriot systems, to help counter the intensifying Russian air attacks.
