NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/)

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius attends a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on the eve of a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 12,

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has trained with U.S. Marines in Germany ahead of his first NATO meeting. Hegseth is currently on a week-long trip that includes visits to Germany, Belgium and Poland, after he narrowly made it through the Senate 's confirmation process in which Vice President JD Vance had to cast a tie-breaking vote.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths first overseas trip stirred controversy, particularly in Europe, due to his remarks on Ukraine and NATO, but earned praise from President Donald Trump. During his visit to Belgium,

Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry

Hegseth made the initial comment during a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, clearly stating that the U.S. "does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth holds a news conference after a meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium.

Spain, Germany and Belgium would face the biggest public-finance hit among European Union countries if NATO raised its defense spending target by a percentage point, according to Scope Ratings.

The time of rebuilding our defense has started,” Beglium’s minister of defence, Theo Francken, said. Ever since his triumphant return to the White House, U.S. president Donald Trump has resumed his call for NATO’s European members to increase their defense expenditures to the threshold of 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

However, the delay in receiving the Belgian Fighting Falcons could help ensure that aviators are given extra time to train on the multirole aircraft.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds his closing press conference at the end of defense ministers' meetings at NATO headquarters on February 13, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium.(Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images) Rutte told Fox News host Martha MacCallum ...

BRUSSELS — In just one speech by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week, the most powerful member of NATO has thrown the world’s biggest military alliance into disarray, raising troubling questions about America’s commitment to European security.