Hegseth Skips Ukraine Meeting Again, Colby Attends in His Place

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will again skip the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, with policy chief Elbridge Colby attending virtually, signaling Washington’s push for Europe to shoulder more defense burden as the U.S. prioritizes homeland security and actions in the Iran conflict; roughly 50 defense ministers will participate as NATO leaders coordinate Kyiv support, while the Pentagon’s PURL program continues weapon shipments to Ukraine, albeit amid warnings that U.S. arms could be prioritized elsewhere; EU hopes for a stalled 90 billion euro Kyiv loan may gain momentum after Hungary’s Orban loss.