The Republican senator who salvaged Pete Hegseth’s chances of becoming President Donald Trump’s defense secretary said he was “disturbed” by his comments about Ukraine this week.
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker said Hegseth made “a rookie mistake” when he said that Ukraine should abandon hopes of a return to its pre-2014 borders while speaking to European defense ministers in Brussels.
During the first overseas trip in his official post, Hegseth also said Wednesday that Ukraine’s NATO membership was off the table.
The Mississippi senator told Politico that he was “puzzled” and “disturbed” by the comments.
“Hegseth is going to be a great defense secretary, although he wasn’t my choice for the job,” the Republican told the outlet at the Munich Security Conference. “But he made a rookie mistake in Brussels.”
“I don’t know who wrote the speech — it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool,” Wicker added.
Carlson, whose commentary has been aired on Russian state television, was lambasted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month for amplifying Kremlin talking points.
Trump said he thought Hegseth’s comments “were good yesterday, and they're probably good today,” when asked for his response.
Hegseth walked back some of the comments the next day, which Wicker said he was “heartened” by.
The defense secretary delivered his remarks as the Trump administration injects itself into the conflict following the president’s campaign-trail promise to quickly end Russia’s assault once in office. Last week, Trump said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about “immediately” opening negotiations to end the war.
European leaders are on edge after Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine revealed Europe will be consulted —but ultimately excluded — by the United States during peace talks.
Senator Thom Tillis told The Independent that he was getting ready to go to Munich to reassure Europe.
“The people at the table have to involve Ukraine,” he said. “This isn’t about between the United States and Putin. Putin’s a liar.”
Tillis was the swing vote in confirming Hegseth last month and he faces a tough re-election fight. But unlike Trump, he insisted that Putin was the aggressor, highlighting the rape, kidnapping and torture of Ukrainians during Russia’s war.
“Ukrainians have a right to be at the table, whether or not we go back to pre-2014 is a legitimate question. That that wasn't involved in this conflict,” he said. “But there is a lot to be said for the territory that Russia has taken and whether or not they should be allowed there, I for one don't think they should.”
On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, whose office claimed that the men discussed removing “barriers” to “mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation” – suggesting that Moscow is pressing for the United States to lift sanctions.
Lavrov’s office also claimed that the men discussed “preparations for a potential high-level Russian-American summit.”
A readout of the call from Rubio’s office merely said he “re-affirmed Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine” and “discussed the opportunity to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues.”
Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days for a meeting with senior Russian officials to begin discussions over Ukraine, according to CNN.
Democratic Senator Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, blasted the Trump administration this week for “caving” to “Putin’s demands” after Ukraine “fought tooth and nail for its very survival, heroically withstanding barbaric tactics and unspeakable violence from Russia.”
“Secretary Hegseth’s recent diplomatic blunders make President Trump look weak, and undermine future negotiations for peace in Ukraine,” Reed said in a statement. “President Trump should demonstrate America’s strength by standing up to Putin, and making certain that Ukraine and NATO are empowered participants in any negotiations about Ukraine’s future.”
