‘Now is the time to end this tragic war, stop the needless bloodshed, and come to the peace table,’ Hegseth said.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned Moscow on Oct. 15 that the United States and its NATO allies would “impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression” if it doesn’t end the war in Ukraine.
While speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of Kyiv’s allies at NATO headquarters on Wednesday, Hegseth said that European investments into Ukraine’s defense had “increased significantly.”
“Now, of course, the United States will do [its] part, but Europeans must continue to take primary responsibility for the conventional defense of the continent,” he stated.
Hegseth noted that European leaders were sending a “clear message” to Moscow.
“Now is the time to end this tragic war, stop the needless bloodshed, and come to the peace table,” he said.
“If this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression.”
While Hegseth did not elaborate, the remarks come after the Trump administration said it might approve a request by Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Oct. 12 that he was considering this step, which would involve selling the missiles to NATO before providing them to Ukraine.
“They’d like to have Tomahawks,“ Trump said while aboard Air Force One en route to Israel. ”We talked about that. And so we’ll see.”
Trump added that he may speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin before reaching a decision.
“I might say, ‘Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks.’ The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon. And honestly, Russia does not need that,” he said.
The range of a Tomahawk missile is roughly 1,000 miles, according to manufacturer Raytheon. Arming Ukraine with U.S.-made Tomahawks would mean Kyiv could hit targets as deep into Russia as Moscow.
On Wednesday, Hegseth warned Russia that if NATO and the United States had to “impose costs” to bring the war to a close, “the U.S. War Department stands ready to do [its] part in ways that only the United States can do.”
By Jacob Burg
