UK to chair next meeting of Ukraine military aid group

The United States is handing off leadership of the international group that manages military aid to Ukraine, a sign that President Donald Trump’s Pentagon may play a lesser role in supporting Kyiv.

United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defense John Healey will chair the group as it gathers for its 26th time next week in Brussels, marking the first time an American defense secretary has not convened the meeting in its three-year history.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, or UDCG, is a gathering of 50 countries from around the world that first started meeting in 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the coalition has sent more than $126 billion in military aid to Kyiv , from F-16 fighter jets to scores of 155mm artillery ammunition.

More than half of that support came from America, which often hosted the group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, a location that soon became synonymous with the coalition itself.

Former President Joe Biden’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, convened every meeting over the first three years and used his last foreign trip this January to argue that the U.S. should continue its aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joining Austin , said the same — echoing other European leaders who said U.S. support is pivotal in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

“It would honestly be crazy to drop the ball now,” Zelenskyy said.

Those arguments, however, are falling flat in the Trump administration. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to NATO headquarters in Brussels next week, where the next UDCG will gather. But in a break from past meetings, a U.S. defense secretary will attend rather than host the meeting.

Although Hegseth will give remarks during the meeting, he hasn’t committed to furthering American support.

Other top policy officials entering the Pentagon have argued strenuously against continuing American aid , saying that it saps readiness for a potential war with China around Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine and appointed an envoy, former Gen. Keith Kellogg, to negotiate a peace deal within 100 days.

Outside experts are skeptical that such a deal can occur without Ukraine’s support, which will be hard to secure as the country slowly loses territory in the east.

Hegseth has already spoken with Healey and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the phone. During his trip to Europe, Hegseth will meet with other European officials, according to a U.S. defense official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the plans. Hegseth does not yet have a meeting scheduled with any officials from Ukraine.

The official said the U.S. decision not to convene next week’s meeting isn’t a permanent one, and the Pentagon is still assessing its role in the group.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

美国正在移交负责管理对乌克兰军事援助的国际组织的领导权，这表明唐纳德·特朗普总统领导的五角大楼在支持基辅方面可能发挥的作用会减弱。

英国国防大臣约翰·希利将主持下周在布鲁塞尔举行的该小组第26次会议，这将是该小组成立三年来首次没有由美国国防部长召集会议。

乌克兰防务联络小组（UDCG）是由来自世界各地的50个国家组成的联盟，该联盟于2022年俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰后首次召开会议。自那时以来，该联盟已向基辅提供了超过1260亿美元的军事援助，包括F-16战斗机和大量155毫米炮弹。

超过一半的支持来自美国，美国经常在德国拉姆施泰因空军基地接待该组织，该基地很快就成为联盟本身的代名词。

前总统乔·拜登的国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀在拜登执政的前三年里召集了每一次会议，并在今年1月的最后一次出访中力陈美国应继续向乌克兰提供援助。乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基也表达了同样的观点——这与其他欧洲领导人的立场相呼应，他们认为美国的支持对乌克兰对抗俄罗斯至关重要。

“现在放弃就太疯狂了，”泽连斯基说。

然而，这些论点在特朗普政府内部却不受欢迎。国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯下周将前往布鲁塞尔的北约总部，参加下一届国防部长联合小组会议。但与以往不同的是，此次会议将由美国国防部长出席，而非由其主办。

尽管赫格塞斯将在会议期间发表讲话，但他并未承诺进一步争取美国的支持。

其他进入五角大楼的高级政策官员强烈反对继续提供美国援助，称这会削弱应对可能与中国在台湾附近发生的战争的准备。

与此同时，特朗普承诺结束乌克兰战争，并任命前将军基思·凯洛格为特使，在100天内谈判达成和平协议。

外部专家怀疑，如果没有乌克兰的支持，这样的协议能否达成；而随着乌克兰东部领土的逐渐丧失，获得乌克兰的支持将十分困难。

赫格塞斯已经与希利和北约秘书长马克·吕特通过电话。一位不愿透露姓名的美国国防官员表示，赫格塞斯在欧洲之行期间还将与其他欧洲官员会面。目前，赫格塞斯尚未安排与任何乌克兰官员会面。

这位官员表示，美国决定不参加下周的会议并非永久性决定，五角大楼仍在评估其在该组织中的角色。

诺亚·罗伯逊是《防务新闻》的五角大楼记者。他此前曾为《基督教科学箴言报》报道国家安全新闻。他拥有弗吉尼亚州威廉斯堡威廉与玛丽学院的英语和政治学学士学位。