My absence from Ramstein doesn’t mean U.S. no longer supports Ukraine – Hegseth
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth commented on his absence from the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in the Ramstein format, which took place on June 4 in Brussels.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing NV.
During a briefing, Hegseth was asked whether his absence from the Ramstein meeting could be interpreted as a "signal that the United States no longer supports Ukraine."
The Pentagon chief rejected that notion and explained that U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker attended the meeting in his place and made a meaningful contribution.
"From the very beginning of this administration (President Donald Trump’s – ed.), we’ve been working with our British and German colleagues to have them lead this contact group — which they have done — and I’m grateful for that," Hegseth said.
As a reminder, the United Kingdom and Germany assumed leadership of the Ramstein group in February 2025, after Hegseth announced that the United States would no longer play a key role in the regular meetings initiated by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in April 2022.
