European countries should pay for military aid to Ukraine; this is the policy of the US administration, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth emphasized at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, APA reports.
Senator Enges King (Independent, Maine), who participated in the hearing, showed Hegseth a chart showing Washington's reduction in military aid to Kyiv, as well as the EU's expanding role in such funding. "Why are we abandoning Ukraine to its fate?" the lawmaker asked the minister. "It's a wonderful chart. I believe that's exactly what we want. We want Europe to step up, fund, and shoulder the burden. They're rich countries worth $20 trillion. <...> Europe can step up, Europe can fund it. And they're doing it through our PURL initiative, as well as through European Command," Hegseth responded to King. As he noted, "this is exactly what the Americans want to see – for other countries to step up and finance." "If this is so important for Europe <...>, then European countries should pay for it. This is precisely what this table demonstrates. And this is the administration's policy," the head of the American defense department emphasized. According to him, "the threat is much closer to the rich and capable countries in Europe."Hegseth also assured that US President Donald Trump continues to support a resolution to the Ukrainian conflict. "This war would never have started if Trump had been president [at the time]. He supports ending it through a deal, and he's working on it," Hegseth said.
