US NATO allies must take responsibility for Europe's conventional defense and deter Russia, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
„President Trump and his administration have told NATO allies that they must step up and take primary responsibility for Europe's conventional defense, and we are already seeing progress. Our strategy is based on common sense: our NATO allies have the economic power to deter Russia. And our resources are increasingly stretched. As we shift our focus to the Pacific, we expect our NATO allies to commit more resources to defense to build a strong deterrent force in Europe,” the Pentagon chief said.
“It is vital and overdue that our NATO allies assume primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense,“ Hegseth told the House Appropriations Committee. “This is not just about doing justice to American taxpayers, but also about ensuring that NATO remains a strong and resilient alliance, even as the United States shifts its focus to defending our homeland and containing China. In this way, we can restore and maintain peace in Europe with strength for generations to come,“ the minister argued.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard warned the international community of a "nuclear holocaust" as the world moves "closer than ever to the brink of nuclear annihilation".
She released a three-minute video of X on Tuesday, reporting on her recent visit to the Japanese city of Hiroshima, which was subjected to a US atomic bomb in August 1945. Gabbard spoke about the aftermath of the nuclear attack and showed archival footage of the victims. With modern nuclear weapons far more powerful than those used by the United States in 1945, she stressed, “a nuclear weapon today can kill millions of people in just a few minutes“.
“This is the reality of what is at stake, what we are facing right now,“ Gabbard said. “Because today, as we all come closer than ever to the brink of nuclear annihilation, elite warmongers are recklessly stoking fear and tension between nuclear powers.“ She said powerful people believe they have access to “nuclear safe havens” and therefore will not suffer any consequences. “It is up to us, the people, to stand up and demand that this madness stop. "We must abandon this path to nuclear war and work to create a world where no one lives in fear of nuclear holocaust," added Gabbard, who coordinates all 18 US intelligence agencies.
The former congresswoman, while a member of the US House of Representatives, repeatedly warned that the world was "on the brink of nuclear war" and called for stricter controls on nuclear weapons.