Hegseth: Peace comes through strength, not words. Allies must act, not talk

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called on Russia to end its aggression in Ukraine, warning that the United States and its allies would take repressive measures if it did not.

During a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense for Ukraine at NATO headquarters in Brussels, he said that the US was prepared to act if the war did not end.

He called for a strengthening of the peace process and urged allies to increase their investments in the PURL program, which has replaced direct arms deliveries from the US and now requires co-financing by allies.
While Sweden, Finland, and Estonia have pledged new contributions, larger states such as France and the UK have not yet joined. Hegseth emphasized that peace is the result of real strength, not just words. Zelensky hoped for $3.5 billion in financial support, but so far only $2 billion has been raised.

The conflict is now entering its fourth winter, and Ukraine continues to face Russian occupation of one-fifth of its territory.

(reuters, mja)