US Defense Chief Skips Key Ukraine Aid Meeting | JQJO

For the first time since its inception, the US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, will miss a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels. Hegseth's absence, following his return from Singapore, signals a shift in US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Concerns are rising among NATO allies regarding potential US troop withdrawals from Europe and a decreased commitment to Ukraine, particularly given President Macron's warning about a dangerous double standard. The US has provided over $66.5 billion in aid, but under Hegseth's leadership, new aid announcements have ceased. Germany and the UK now co-chair the group. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation is in Washington for talks on defense, sanctions, and postwar recovery.