U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte briefed reporters on Thursday following a NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in Brussels. Before answering questions, Hegseth told NATO members that they must increase their defense spending from the current 2% of annual GDP.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hammered home a message upon arrival at NATO headquarters Thursday that allies need to show more urgency in building up their respective militaries to counter a more aggressive Russia.

Two percent is a start, as President Trump has said, but it’s not enough, nor is 3%, nor is 4% — more like 5%,” the defense secretary said in a speech in Brussels.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday made the first trip to NATO by a member of the new Trump administration, as the allies wait to learn how much military and financial support

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has trained with U.S. Marines in Germany ahead of his first NATO meeting. Hegseth is currently on a week-long trip that includes visits to Germany, Belgium and Poland, after he narrowly made it through the Senate's confirmation process in which Vice President JD Vance had to cast a tie-breaking vote.

Defense Secretary Hegseth said it was “unrealistic” to aim for a return to Ukraine’s borders as they were before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.

"Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker,'" Hegseth told a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Europe should be primarily responsible for defense on the European continent,

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned European NATO allies against relying too heavily on America for defence. Speaking at NATO HQ in Brussels, Hegseth said, 'President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker.

After taking charge of the Pentagon, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth has called for Europe to handle its own defence and not treat America like a ‘sucker’.