US defense secretary denies changes to US policy on Ukraine

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday denied any change in Washington’s policy toward Ukraine, saying the Pentagon had not issued directives to restrict satellite communications services and was seeking to ensure that US forces have sufficient supplies of Patriot missile interceptors.

“There’s a lot of things that have been said in the press that are not true about the Department of War,” Hegseth told reporters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, when asked about reports that the Pentagon was delaying transfers of Patriot interceptors from allied countries to Ukraine.

“We haven’t changed our posture in any way toward the Ukrainians, but certainly with things like interceptors, we want to make sure our guys have the most possible as well,” he said.

Hegseth added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was aware of the situation.

Asked whether his assertion that US policy toward Ukraine remained unchanged also applied to coverage provided by the Starshield satellite network, he said Washington had not withdrawn any support.

“We haven’t pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied with, and that’s where Starlink has the option to make those decisions,” he said.

“But nothing’s changed from our view. We haven’t made any directives or anything like that,” Hegseth added.

His remarks came amid reports questioning the Trump administration’s handling of military assistance to Kyiv and the status of satellite communications services used by Ukrainian forces.

Diyar Güldoğan