BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday made the first trip to NATO by a member of the new Trump administration, as the allies wait to learn how much military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraine's government.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered opening remarks at the 26th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels on Wednesday, outlining the Trump administration’s approach to ending the war in Ukraine and emphasizing the need for European allies to take greater responsibility for their own security.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will become on Wednesday the first member of the new Trump administration to visit NATO.

The U.S. defense secretary also said that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders, before Russia invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine, “is an unrealistic objective.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and said it is “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine’s borders to revert to their 2014 status before the annexation of Crimea.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says NATO membership for Ukraine is unrealistic. In sweeping remarks Wednesday, Hegseth suggests that the way forward for Ukraine is for the country to abandon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt message to NATO allies Wednesday: U.S. troops will not be part of any future peace-keeping mission in Ukraine. Nor should NATO's Article 5 protections — under which the U.

New US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to assume the role of backseat driver in his first in person meeting with European counterparts on Wednesday as the new Trump administration works to shift responsibility for Ukrainian and European security squarely to NATO and the EU.