U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Moscow on Wednesday that the United States and its allies would "impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression" if the war in Ukraine does not come to an end.
"If we must take this step, the U.S. War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do," Hegseth said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of Kyiv's allies at NATO headquarters.
Hegseth did not elaborate. His comments came as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is considering a request by Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles.
'COME TO THE PEACE TABLE'
"Now is the time to end this tragic war, stop the needless bloodshed, and come to the peace table," Hegseth said.
"This is not a war that started on President Trump's watch, but it will end on his watch."
Hegseth called on NATO allies to increase spending on purchases of U.S. weapons for Ukraine, following a report that highlighted a sharp decline in Western military support for Kyiv in July and August.
"You get peace when you are strong. Not when you use strong words or wag your fingers, you get it when you have strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect," he told reporters at NATO headquarters earlier in the day.
Hegseth urged allies to ramp up investment in the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme, which replaced U.S. arms donations to Ukraine and now requires allies to pay for U.S. weapons deliveries.
"Our expectation today is that more countries donate even more, that they purchase even more to provide for Ukraine, to bring that conflict to a peaceful conclusion."
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he expected further pledges, noting that $2 billion already had been committed through the mechanism.
NEW AID PLEDGES FROM SWEDEN, FINLAND, ESTONIA
However, this amount falls short of the $3.5 billion Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had hoped to secure by October.
Sweden, Estonia, and Finland pledged contributions on Wednesday. But bigger powers such as France and Britain have made no such commitments, despite Hegseth urging all of Kyiv's allies to contribute to the PURL programme.
"Now ... is the time for all NATO countries to turn words into action in the form of PURL investments. All countries around this table, no free riders," Hegseth said at the start of the Contact Group meeting.
Ukraine remains heavily reliant on U.S. weapons as it braces for another winter of grinding conflict with Russia, which now holds around 20% of Ukraine more than three-and-a-half years into its full-scale invasion.
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy reported on Tuesday that average monthly military aid to Ukraine fell by 43% in July and August compared with the first half of the year.
According to the institute, most military support now flows through the PURL initiative, which by August had been joined by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
GERMANY FRANCE SIGN DEAL FOR "ODIN'S EYE"
Germany and France on Wednesday signed an implementation agreement for a satellite-based early warning system called Odin's Eye, which is meant to significantly improve Europe's ability to detect missile launches.
"It remains crucial for our joint defence that we can detect and counter threats as swiftly as possible," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at a signing ceremony with his new French counterpart Catherine Vautrin on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels.
"From space, we aim to spot hostile missiles the moment they are launched. Only then we can intercept them in time."
German space company OHB has been coordinating the development of an architecture for Odin's Eye.
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As tensions between Iran and the U.S. persist, authorities in Tehran are facing another problem—this time at home.
The United Kingdom and the United States are withdrawing military personnel from bases in the Middle East as tensions with Iran rise, following Tehran’s warning to regional allies that it would target U.S. bases if Washington takes military action.
Germany’s finance minister has urged a new era of “European patriotism” to protect the continent’s economic interests, calling for state-backed companies to retain jobs in Europe and for public spending to prioritise European-made goods.
France is considering the possibility of supplying Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens regain internet access after Iranian authorities imposed widespread online blackouts in an attempt to suppress the most severe domestic unrest the country has seen in decades.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
The Trump administration will suspend all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries beginning 21 January 2026, according to a State Department memo reported by media.
The U.S. has issued an urgent security notice calling all American citizens to leave Iran immediately, citing escalating protests, growing violence and widespread communication shutdowns across the country.
The United Nations’ top court at The Hague has begun hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority. Gambia told judges on Monday that Myanmar targeted minority Muslim Rohingya for destruction and made their lives a nightmare in a landmark case.
President Donald Trump said on Monday any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the U.S., as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.
The United Kingdom and the United States are withdrawing military personnel from bases in the Middle East as tensions with Iran rise, following Tehran’s warning to regional allies that it would target U.S. bases if Washington takes military action.
Germany’s finance minister has urged a new era of “European patriotism” to protect the continent’s economic interests, calling for state-backed companies to retain jobs in Europe and for public spending to prioritise European-made goods.
France is considering the possibility of supplying Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens regain internet access after Iranian authorities imposed widespread online blackouts in an attempt to suppress the most severe domestic unrest the country has seen in decades.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced on Wednesday the launch of phase two of the Gaza plan, which includes the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
Sweden is sending a group of military officers to Greenland at Denmark’s request, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday, as Nordic countries and NATO allies step up coordination around the Arctic territory.
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