The US Defence Secretary has hinted Ukraine will receive military aid and intelligence again ‘pending a true commitment to a path to peace’.
Speaking at a meeting in Washington D.C. with the UK’s Defence Secretary John Healey, he insisted the hugely controversial move was merely ‘a pause’.
With Ukrainian and US officials due to the meet in Saudi Arabia next week in a bid to produce a framework for a peace deal, the resumption of military assistance could be close.
Mr Hegseth said: ‘The President has pointed out, it is a pause. Exactly what he said from the beginning, a pause pending a true commitment to a path to peace.
‘The President is paying a very keen eye to precisely what the Ukrainians are saying and doing, about committing to that peace process, and we are very encouraged by the signs we are seeing. Ultimately he will make the determination, but it is a pause for now.’
Mr Hegseth also noted it was ‘very encouraging’ to watch the UK and France step-up and say they were prepared to take the lead to ensure an enduring peace in Ukraine.
Mr Healey shook hands with Mr Hegseth before the meeting despite the former Fox News host previously admitting he had not washed his hands for 10 years because ‘germs were not a real thing’.
He made the remark in a 2019 interview on Fox and Friends. He later told USA Today is remarks were intended as a joke.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (C) welcomes UK Secretary of State for Defense John Healey (L) to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, USA, 06 March 2025
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hesgeth has hinted Ukraine will receive military aid during a meeting with his British counterpart at the Pentagon today
Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey responds to questions from reporters during a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon today in Washington
At the time, Hegseth also criticised people who repeatedly sanitise their hands ‘as if that’s going to save their life’.
Hesgeth on Thursday also dismissed as ‘garbage’ accusations that Washington had taken a pro-Russia stance, saying the US President was pursuing a peaceful end to of Ukraine.
Trump has piled pressure on Ukraine, pausing all U.S. military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv, as his administration pushes for a negotiated solution to the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
The US president and his advisors, including Hegseth, have also declined to brand Russia as the aggressor.
‘The press is interested in narratives. Our president is interested in peace. So we will get characterized one way or another: “Oh, your stance is pro-Russia or pro-“… it’s all garbage,’ Hegseth told reporters.
‘The President got elected to bring peace in this conflict, and he is working with both sides in a way that only President Trump can… to bring them to the table to end the killing.’
Hegseth spoke alongside Healey, who aimed to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine during the meeting at the Pentagon on Thursday.
The talks come after the U.S. banned Britain from sharing intelligence from Washington with Ukraine as part of its withdrawal of support for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump’s decision to freeze American military aid to Kyiv yesterday brought warnings that Ukraine could run out of weapons in as little as two to three months’ time.
But on top of missiles and ammunition, all UK intelligence agencies and military outlets also received an order expressly forbidding the sharing of US-generated intelligence, previously known as ‘Rel UKR’ – short for Releasable to Ukraine’.
Since the conflict began three years ago, the UK and other Western security partners such as Australia and New Zealand have shared such knowledge with Ukraine.
President Donald Trump put a pause on all military aid to Ukraine earlier this week and issued an ultimatum to President Volodymyr Zelensky after their Oval Office meeting blew up last Friday
President Donald Trump welcomes Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington.
But the Mail has learnt the top-level security classification has now been removed by the United States pending further notification and is likely to impact upon Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s continuing onslaught.
The ban affects the likes of the UK’s GCHQ, the spy agencies and intelligence branches of the Ministry of Defence.
Meanwhile, EU leaders sat down for an emergency summit today following calls for a £670 billion fund to finance Ukraine’s defence against Russia.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called it a ‘watershed moment’ for Europe and Ukraine.
She said: ‘It’s so important that we stand together. Ukraine is part of our European family.
‘Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore it must be able to protect itself, defend itself.’
