Hegseth pledges ‘more firepower’ for Ukraine but holds off Tomahawk commitments

Published October 15, 2025 9:27am ET



War Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged “more firepower” for Ukraine through NATO on Wednesday but held off on announcing the decision for the United States to send Tomahawk cruise missiles until President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.

Speaking at this week’s NATO “Defense Ministers Summit” in Brussels, Hegseth embraced Trump’s shifting stance on Ukraine. Lauding the president’s new, more aggressive stance toward Russia, the war secretary said it was a hallmark of his peace-through-strength strategy. He said the U.S. hoped more countries would join the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative, which has so far seen $2 billion pledged for weapons for Ukraine.

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