(13 Feb 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Belgium – 13 February 2025
1. Arrival of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:
"This… the war in Ukraine, the aggression by Russia, has been a factory reset for NATO, a realization that this alliance need to be robust and strong and real, and that that’s why President (Donald) Trump has called for increased defense spending across the board for NATO for European countries to recognize this is an urgent, real threat to the continent. This aggression needs to be a wake up call. Americans are an active part of this alliance as we have been and will continue to. But when it comes to defense spending, even 2% of GDP is not enough. Three and four. And ultimately, as President Trump has said, 5% of defense spending is critical. A realization that there is a Russian war machine that is sought to take more and more land in Ukraine and standing up against that is an important European responsibility. And of course the United States has been there for a long time as well."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:
(Reporter asks off camera: Does it reward the dictators who used force to take what they want?)
"Well, that’s your language, not mine. Certainly not a betrayal. As I said to our allies yesterday, we recognize the incredible commitment that has been made over many years. And no country, as the President Trump has pointed out, has made a larger commitment to the Ukrainian mission than the United States of America, north of $300 billion dollars. So the United States has invested in stabilizing those front lines after the aggression of Russia. There is no betrayal there. There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace. As President Trump has said, stopping the killing. And so that would require both sides recognizing things they don’t want to. That’s why I think the world is fortunate to have President Trump, only he at this moment could convene the powers that be to bring peace. And that’s a welcome sign. My job as the Defense Secretary, working alongside NATO, is to ensure that the defense capabilities of this alliance are as strong and robust as possible to deter any future aggression on the continent. That’s our role to be leaders in NATO. And that’s what we’ll continue to do. Thank you very much."
4. Hegseth walking away
STORYLINE:
The new U.S. Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth entered the NATO Defense Ministers meeting on Thursday, and said President Donald Trump was working to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Hegseth reiterated Trump’s call for more defense spending when he arrived at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
He denied any "betrayal" to Ukraine and instead said that Trump was working to bring peace in Ukraine.
Hegseth told Ukraine’s Western backers on Wednesday that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace settlement to be backed up by international troops.
After talks with Putin and then Zelenskyy, Trump said on Wednesday he would “probably” meet in person with Russian leader soon, and suggested that the meeting could happen in Saudi Arabia.
AP video shot by Mark Carlson, produced by Annika Wolters
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