Former Fox News host-turned-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire for refusing to acknowledge Russia's role as the aggressor in the Ukraine war—despite previously calling Moscow's actions an invasion.
Criticism came crashing in when viral clips resurfaced showing Hegseth calling Putin an "authoritarian" and tracking "Russia's invasion" on Fox News.
"I don't need to get into the characterization of we know who invaded who. We understand the stakes of this game," Hegseth said in a recent interview, sidestepping a direct answer when pressed about Russia's role.
When asked why there appeared to be hesitation in naming Russia the aggressor, Hegseth deflected: "Does all the finger-pointing and pearl-clutching make peace more likely?"
People wasted no time digging up his March 2022 Fox News coverage, where he struck a completely different tone, openly calling Russia the aggressor.
"What's at stake is repelling an authoritarian (Putin) who basically is saying I want the Soviet Union back, I want Ukraine back, I want Kyiv back," Hegseth said at the time while pressing the Biden administration to expedite its support for Ukraine.
.@SecDef Hegseth on Fox News in March 2022: “What’s at stake is repelling an authoritarian [Putin] who basically is saying I want the Soviet Union back, I want Ukraine back, I want Kyiv back.” Hegseth goes on to say the Biden Administration is moving too slow on equipping Ukraine https://t.co/WyThy2307l pic.twitter.com/2UliAib78N
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) February 24, 2025
The uproar comes as the United Nations General Assembly officially designated Russia as the aggressor Monday, on the three-year anniversary of the war. The resolution, which demands a full withdrawal of Russian troops passed with 93 nations in favor, while 18, including the U.S., abstained.
"Hegseth says he doesn't know if Russia invaded Ukraine. This you?" one X user posted alongside screenshots of his past Fox News segments covering the invasion.
.@SecDef Hegseth says he doesn’t know if Russia invaded Ukraine.
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) February 26, 2025
This you? pic.twitter.com/Oayh6zVD27
Hegseth's reluctance to explicitly name Russia as the aggressor mirrors Trump's refusal to condemn Putin, a tone that other officials are hesitant to defy.
"The war, irrespective of who started it, needs to end... It was provoked. It doesn't necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians," U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steven, Charles Witkoff, recently stated.
Just days after calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator without elections," Trump avoided labeling Putin a dictator.
"What does Putin have on Trump that he's willing to bend over backwards to really support Putin's agenda?" former National Security Council official Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said. "It doesn't make a huge amount of sense. He's not getting anything for it right now."
Under pressure from the Trump administration, Ukraine has reportedly agreed to co-develop its critical minerals, oil and gas with the U.S.—a move that could set the stage for a ceasefire with Russia. Trump says Ukraine's President Zelensky will sign a "very big agreement" in the U.S. on Friday.
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