Republican senator ‘heartened’ by Pete Hegseth's ‘rookie mistake’ during Brussel speech; ‘Russians are the bad guys’
Pete Hegseth stoked a row with his recent remarks on Ukraine, stating that the war-torn nation should let go of its aspirations to join the NATO.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stoked a row with his recent remarks on Ukraine, stating that the war-torn nation should let go of its aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
During his Brussels speech, the US defence secretary asserted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should give up on plans to reclaim all of its land from Russia, drawing anger from Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker.
Notably, Wicker had supported Hegseth when he faced allegations of enjoying drinking while being on the job ahead of Senate confirmation. However, the Mississippi Republican has now blasted the Defense Secretary for committing a “rookie mistake” during a speech at NATO headquarters.
Wicker says he's ‘heartened’ by Hegseth's speech
Speaking to POLITICO, Wicker stated that Hegseth was not his choice for the role of defense secretary, but added that he “is going to be a great defense secretary.”
He mentioned that Hegseth has partially retracted his remarks, but “not that line.”
The GOP senator tried to speculate who wrote Hegseth's speech and took a dig at former Fox broadcaster Tucker Carlson, suggesting that it might be penned down by him. He called Carlson, who interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a “fool”.
He further mentioned that he was “heartened” by Hegseth's speech. “I prefer we didn’t give away negotiating positions before we actually get started talking about the end of the Russia-Ukraine war,” Wicker continued.
Wicker calls Russians ‘bad guys’
This development comes as US President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke with both Zelenskyy and Putin, stating on Thursday that there was a “good possibility of ending that horrible, very bloody war.”
Blasting the Russian President amidst ongoing war in Ukraine, Wicker referred to Putin as a “war criminal who needs to be in prison for the rest of his life.”
Wicker again contradicted Trump by dismissing the notion of Russia rejoining the G7. According to Wicker, the Russia-Ukraine war has both “good and bad guys”, and “the Russians are the bad guys.”
He went on to say that Russia “should be defeated” because they invaded Ukraine in violation of nearly all international laws.
“Ukraine is entitled to the promises that the world made to it,” he said.