The US ‘no longer’ primarily focused ‘on Europe’s security, says Pete Hegeth | US Foreign Policy

Donald Trump’s newly appointed defense secretary told allies on his first international journey that the United States was no longer “primarily focused” on European security and that Europe should take the lead to defend Ukraine.

Pete Hegeth, who spoke with defense ministers at a lunch meeting in Brussels, said Europe had to give “the overwhelming share” of future military assistance to Kiev and acknowledge that Restoring Ukraine’s borders before 2014 was unrealistic.

The Pentagon chief said he was “here today to directly and unequivocally expressly expressed that sharp strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on Europe’s security”, although the language was especially toned down from a draft that was oriented in advance to press.

It had said that the United States was no longer “the primary guarantee of security in Europe” and seemed to suggest that a rework of 75-year-old NATO alliance was created after World War II to protect Western Europe from the Soviet bloc.

But in a speech to the Ukraine contact group of defense ministers in Brussels, led by Britain’s defense secretary, John Healey, he softened the language -one day before attending his first NATO summit for defense ministers.

Hegeth said the United States moved its military priorities to defend its homeland and discourage China, and he called on European NATO members to wander defense budgets to 5% of GDP to better defend the continent.

As an example, Hegeth said Europe “should give the overwhelming proportion of future mortal and non -lit help to Ukraine” in the future – though he did not say the United States would stop all its military help, which has been critical of helping Kyiv with resisting Russian invasion.

He also repeated Trump’s attitude that “to stop the fighting and reach a sustained peace” in Ukraine is a highest priority – and that Kyiv must acknowledge that it cannot win all the land occupied by Russia.

“We must start by acknowledging that it is an unrealistic goal to return to Ukraine’s borders before 2014 is an unrealistic goal,” said Hegeth, and drawn an original attitude towards peace talks with Russia.

“Hunting this illusory goal will only extend the war and cause more suffering,” he added, although this could be interpreted as effectively recognizing the annexation of Crimea and large parts of Donbas of Russia.

Kyiv would only achieve peace through “robust security guarantees”, but Hegeth excluded NATO membership for Ukraine. Instead, peace was to be secured by “skilled European and non-European troops” which he underlined would not come from the United States.

All British or European troops who ended up being deployed in Ukraine would not be covered by part of a NATO mission or covered by Article 5 of the Alliance, added Hegeth, which means they would actually depend on help From participating states.

Although Hegeth was some attitudes to achieve peace in Ukraine, few experts believe there have been some serious diplomatic progress. Russia, which has won land on the battlefield, remains eager to push its advantage home and has demanded that Ukraine provide additional territory and effectively demilitarized as part of an agreement.

Earlier this week, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, The Guardian said that Europe was unable to offer elastic security guarantees to Kiev without US involvement. “Security guarantees without America are not real,” he said.

A multinational deterrence force based in Ukraine after a ceasefire would have to be 100,000 to 150,000 strong, Zelenskyy said, although it would be far less than the 600,000 plus Russian troops in the occupied Ukraine.

With many European military, including the UK, which is facing recruitment difficulties, it is not clear whether it would be possible to constitute a strength of that size without American involvement.

Departure from a prepared text also emphasized that the United States wanted NATO allies to spend 5% of their GDP on defense and praised Poland to reach this level. That would mean a doubling for the United Kingdom of Defense Expenses – its budget is currently 2.33% of GDP.

Hegeth explained that the shift away from Europe was necessary because the United States “faces the consequences of threats to our homeland” and was focused on border security. At the same time, he added: “We are also facing a peer competitor in the Communist Chinese”, which is capable of threatening the American mainland and “core national interests of the Indo-Stophavet”.

“The United States prioritizes a deterrent to China in the Pacific, recognizes the reality of scarcity and makes the resources over to ensure that deterrence does not fail. When the United States changes attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front, ”he added.

Hegeth’s positioning reflects priorities that are repeatedly stated by the US president that Europe must increase defense budgets and contribute to their own security, though they have to say that the United States would not protect a NATO member if attacked.

NATO’s Article 5 states that if a Member State is attacked, others must be prepared to help its help. It has only been invoked once in the history of the alliance when the United States was attacked on September 9.