Media: U.S. Representatives to Skip Ukraine Defense Contact Group Meeting for the First Time

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will not attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in the Ramstein format, which will be held on April 11 in Brussels.

The Defense News portal reported on this.

This marks the first time since the formation of the coalition in 2022 that the U.S. will not be represented at the highest level during discussions on military aid to Ukraine.

According to the media, Hegseth will not join the upcoming Ramstein format meeting either in person or via video link.

It is also not expected that the U.S. Department of Defense will send high-ranking officials or other representatives who typically accompany the Secretary.

As an anonymous U.S. official explained, the U.S. is still evaluating how their representatives will participate in various formats supporting Ukraine, particularly those related to military aid.

Since the start of Donald Trump’s presidency, the United Kingdom has taken a leading role in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and the previous Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in February was chaired by the UK.

Hegseth attended that meeting, although he became the first U.S. Secretary of Defense in 26 coalition meetings not to lead it.

The Pentagon chief stated that the return of Ukraine’s borders to those that existed before 2014 was not a realistic goal. He also announced that the United States does not consider Ukraine’s NATO membership a realistic outcome of the peace settlement of the war.

Pete Hegseth stated that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine through diplomatic means.

Meanwhile, he emphasized that this issue needs to be viewed from a realistic perspective.

The U.S. publication Defense News reports that European participants are preparing for potential changes in the format of the meetings.