Hegseth held talks with U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey, before a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must end,” that Kyiv joining NATO is unrealistic and that the U.S. will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security as the Trump administration shifts its attention to securing the U.

I'm RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, and this week I'm drilling down on two issues: The EU finally targeting Russian fertilizers and Pete Hegseth's first meeting at NATO. What You Need To Know: NATO defense ministers are gathering in Brussels on February 13 for their first meeting of the year.