After Rubio, Hegseth will also skip NATO ministerial meeting

According to two sources, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will not attend the February meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. This is the second consecutive time that a high-ranking official from President Donald Trump's administration will skip a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting.

According to a US official and NATO diplomat, Hegseth will not attend the February 12 meeting at the Alliance's headquarters. The reasons for his absence were not given, and neither the Pentagon nor NATO commented on the matter. Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also did not attend the NATO foreign ministers' meeting.

US relations with NATO are tense under Trump's leadership, most recently due to his comments about possibly acquiring Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, a member country of the Alliance. According to former NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu, Hegseth's absence would send a negative signal at a sensitive time in transatlantic relations.

The administration has also announced that Europe should take on greater responsibility for security, with the US providing only limited support. Diplomatic sources expect the United States to be represented at the meeting by Elbridge Colby, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy.

(reuters, est)