US defense secretary to skip Ukraine allies meeting, report says

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not expected to attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which brings together about 51 countries, local media reported Tuesday.

His absence would make the United States one of the few countries not sending a top civilian defense official to the meeting of Ukraine’s allies.

Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s top policy official, will instead take part in the virtual session, as he did at the previous meeting in February, according to two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, Politico reported.

Hegseth has attended the meetings only intermittently over the past year, reflecting the Trump administration’s shifting priorities and its view that Europe should take on more responsibility for supplying arms to Kyiv.

More than 50 defense ministers from countries backing Ukraine are expected to join the virtual meeting on Wednesday.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and UK Defense Secretary John Healey will chair the session, after assuming responsibility for coordinating the group when the Trump administration stepped back from the leadership role shortly after taking office.

NATO’s top military commander, US Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, will not attend. His deputy, UK Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer, along with German Maj. Gen. Ulf Häussler, deputy commander of NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine mission, will participate online.