US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will reportedly not attend the upcoming meeting of NATO defense ministers scheduled to take place in Brussels this February.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Reuters published this information, citing sources familiar with the matter.
According to the agency, if confirmed, Pete Hegseth would become the second high-ranking official from US President Donald Trump's administration to skip a major NATO ministerial gathering. This follows a previous instance in December 2024, when Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau represented the United States at the alliance's foreign ministers' meeting instead of the Secretary of State.
Reuters characterized the absence of top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio from previous sessions, as "highly unusual." The agency emphasized that the lowering of the level of US representation further intensifies questions regarding Washington's long-term commitment to European security under the current administration.
The report comes amid heightened tensions regarding the future of transatlantic relations. Just a day prior, Stefano Stefanini, Italy's former ambassador to NATO, warned of a potential risk of the North Atlantic Alliance's collapse should the United States significantly reduce its presence and leadership role in Europe.
The NATO defense ministers' meetings are traditionally critical platforms for coordinating collective defense strategies and addressing regional security threats. The potential absence of the Pentagon chief at such a juncture is seen by analysts as a signal of shifting priorities in US foreign policy, potentially requiring European allies to take greater responsibility for their own territorial integrity and defense capabilities.
