Pete Hegseth faced bipartisan criticism over the Trump administration’s response to Ukraine as the president struggles to broker a peace deal.
The testy line of questioning took place as the defense secretary appeared before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday, where he was pressed over negotiations and reprimanded for insulting U.S. allies.
Senator Mitch McConnell confronted Hegseth right out of the gate by asking who the aggressor in Ukraine was. The DoD chief acknowledged Russia was the aggressor but waffled when asked about who he wanted to win.
“As we’ve said time and time again, this president is committed to peace in that conflict. Ultimately, peace serves our national interests, and we think the interest of both parties, even if that outcome will not be preferable to many in this room and many in our country,” Hegseth said.
“We don’t want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia wins and America loses,” McConnell said, noting the growth of U.S. adversaries.
The Republican senator also leveled a damning accusation over the response to the war.
“Everybody seems to be moving in the right direction, and then they look at us and wonder whether we’re in the midst of brokering what appears to be allowing the Russians to define victory,” McConnell said. “I think victory is defined by the people that have to live there, the Ukrainians.”
He suggested Ukraine will not bow down to Russia’s current demands and asked what Hegseth thinks the Russians are up to, as he said they don’t appear to be “too interested in talking.”
Hegseth pushed back, saying that no one in the administration was adopting Russian views and saying that the budget reflected that “Europe needs to step up more for the defense of its own continent.” He praised his boss, saying Trump deserves credit, and touted the increase in European defense spending.
“He has set the standard that America can’t be everywhere all the time for everybody, and if you’re a European country, you cannot freeload off the United States in perpetuity,” Hegseth said.
“America’s reputation is on the line,” McConnell warned in conclusion. “Will we defend Democratic allies against authoritarian aggressors? That’s the international concern that I have about this.”
When it was Senator Chris Coons’ turn to question Hegseth, he also raised concerns, and said it seems Putin has no intention of negotiating.
“It seems to me concerning that the 2026 request eliminates aid to Ukraine entirely,” the Democratic Party senator said.
Coons also took issue with Hegseth’s comments about Europe freeloading. He noted that Article 5 was only invoked once after 9/11, when America’s allies deployed to Afghanistan alongside the U.S. and suffered casualties. He also noted that 50 other countries have delivered support for Ukraine.
Hegseth shot back over Coons’ criticism of his statement. He said he served with allies in Afghanistan. He praised allies but made an eyebrow-raising comment.
“We also wore a patch on our shoulder that said ISAF – International Security Assistance Force – and you know what the joke was? That it stood for ‘I saw Americans Fighting’ because what ultimately was a lot of flags, lot of flags, was not a lot of on the ground capability.
“You’re not a real coalition, you’re not a real alliance unless you have real defense capability and real armies that can bring those to bear,” Hegseth said. “That’s a reality that Europe is waking up to quickly, and we’re glad.”
Coons tried to cut Hegseth off at that point to chastise him.
“Mr. Secretary, let’s just make clear for the record that our military partners in Afghanistan included many that served and died,” Coons said.
“Don’t try to make it look like I don’t care about the investments of our partners,” Hegseth shot back, but he argued the “bulk of the effort was Americans.”
Coons argued allies have stepped up in defense of Ukraine and so should the U.S.
“Putin will only stop when we stop him, and the best way to stop him is indeed through a stronger NATO,” Coons said.
Senator Lindsey Graham also pressed Hegseth over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He asked if Putin would stop in Ukraine.
“Remains to be seen,” Hegseth responded.
“Well, he says he’s not,” Graham responded, appearing incredulous. “This is the ’30s all over. It doesn’t remain to be seen.’ He tells everybody around what he wants to do.”
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen also raised an issue with the defense secretary’s responses over Ukraine. During his testimony, Hegseth touted the sale of Javelin missiles to Ukraine during Trump’s first administration.
However, the New Hampshire senator would not let his comment stand without rebuttal.
“Mr. Secretary, you pointed out that Javelins were given to Ukraine during the first Trump administration,” she said. “I would point out that he was impeached over holding up giving those Javelins and equipment to Ukraine.”
The post Hegseth Blasted by GOP and Dems Over Trump’s Handling of Putin appeared first on The Daily Beast.
