US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Washington and its allies will take the necessary steps to "impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression" unless it ends the war in Ukraine.
"If we must take that step, the US Department of Defense is prepared to do our part in ways that only the United States can," Hegseth said at a meeting at NATO headquarters of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which includes Kyiv's allies, according to Reuters.
This comes after NATO defense ministers met earlier Wednesday in Brussels to discuss ways to bolster their support for Ukraine and improve their response following a series of Russian air incursions into European airspace.
The ministers also discussed ways to strengthen defense and deterrence against repeated incursions by Russian or unidentified drones, according to AFP.
Operation Eastern Sentry
In September, the infiltration of approximately 20 Russian drones into Polish airspace prompted NATO to shoot down three of them, an unprecedented incident since the alliance's founding in 1949.
A few days later, NATO fighter jets escorted three Russian MiG aircraft out of Estonian airspace, after a record 12-minute incursion.
This rapid response was followed by the launch of Operation Eastern Sentry, aimed at strengthening surveillance of NATO's eastern flank.
Aid to Ukraine
Kyiv has received two tranches of aid totaling approximately $2 billion, funded by the Netherlands and other Scandinavian countries.
Germany and Canada have pledged to fund two additional tranches, each worth $500 million, and Ukraine hopes to complete the preparations for the additional tranches soon.
For his part, US President Donald Trump is considering supplying Kyiv with more long-range Tomahawk missiles and is scheduled to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Friday.
Hegseth: We will impose "costs" on Russia unless the war in Ukraine ends
