Trump and Hegseth draw the line: U.S. won’t be 'Uncle Sucker' on NATO
"President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker,'" stated Pete Hegseth, the new head of the U.S. Department of Defense, regarding the continued functioning of NATO and peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
"Eisenhower was one of Nato’s strongest supporters. He believed in a strong relationship with Europe. However, by the end of Eisenhower’s presidency, even he was concerned that Europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense, nearly making, in Eisenhower’s words, a sucker out of Uncle Sam,'" Pete Hegseth said at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
"Well, like President Eisenhower, this administration believes in alliances, deeply believes in alliances, but make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker," added the new U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth referred to the announced negotiations between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. He also commented on his previous statement where he noted that a return of Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders is "unrealistic." "It’s just a cheap political point to say, Oh, we’ve left all the negotiating cards off the table in by recognizing some realities that exist on the ground. President Zelenskyy understands the realities on the ground, president Putin understands the realities on the ground, and president Trump as a deal maker, as a negotiator, understands those dynamics as well," he emphasized.
"It is not my decision"
Hegseth was also asked whether the U.S. would allow Ukraine to join the peace negotiations. "That's not ultimately my decision. President Trump -- I've got the Truths right here that he posted -- called both, in case we missed it, Vladimir Putin and President Zelenskyy," admitted the new U.S. Secretary of Defense.
He added that it definitely aligns with the reality, the moment, the need for peace, and the fact that NATO and European countries will also play their role.
Europe must spend more
"These security guarantees should not be provided through Nato membership, but must instead be backed by capable European and non-European troops," Hegseth emphasized and added that Europe "must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine" in the future.
Hegseth also reminded that the U.S. spends about $900 billion on security.
