Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Wednesday that the U.S. will “impose costs” on Russia if there is “no path to peace in the short term” in Moscow’s war with Ukraine.
“If there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression,” Hegseth said at the NATO defense meeting in Brussels. “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.”
The Defense secretary also argued that the “most effective deterrence” to Russia’s “aggression” is a “lethal, capable and European-led NATO.”
And he said a “combat credible” Ukrainian military will need to be able to defend itself and “thereby continue to deter Russian aggression along NATO’s border.”
