Hegseth will not participate in today’s Ramstein meeting - Associated Press
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will skip a meeting of the international group to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine, better known as Ramstein.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Associated Press.
As noted, Hegseth, who returned from a national security conference in Singapore on Sunday, will arrive in Brussels only on Wednesday evening, after the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense.
A U.S. official confirmed on condition of anonymity that Hegseth will not participate, including via video link.
The publication notes that this is the latest in a series of steps the US has taken to distance itself from the war in Ukraine. And it follows French President Emmanuel Macron's warning that the US and others risk a dangerous double standard if they focus on a potential conflict with China at the expense of abandoning Ukraine.
It should be noted that Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, created the group after Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022. Since then, more than 50 member countries have collectively provided Ukraine with about $126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including $66.5 billion from the United States.
It is also worth noting that for the first time in 3 years, the head of the Pentagon will not attend the Ramstein meeting.
Earlier, Censor.NET reported that the next meeting in the Ramstein format will take place on June 4.
