Rutte explains why Hegseth left Brussels early and did not meet Zelenskyy
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte explained that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left the NATO meeting in Brussels after just two hours due to prior commitments, missing the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte explained on Thursday why US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left the NATO headquarters in Brussels so quickly and did not meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Rutte told journalists that Hegseth had informed him beforehand that his visit would be shortened. “We knew he had to leave earlier because he had prior scheduled commitments,” Rutte said. He stressed that Hegseth still spent nearly two hours at the NATO headquarters listening to debates. The US official delivered his speech at 9:30 AM and left at 11:15 AM.
Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on the evening of June 17 and met with Rutte the previous day. The official program included Zelenskyy’s participation in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in the Ramstein format, which started in the afternoon.
During the meeting, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany is joining the PURL mechanism for the fourth time. The PURL mechanism funds the purchase of American weapons and ammunition for Ukraine.
