US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will skip Wednesday's meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) — the gathering of over 50 nations coordinating arms for Ukraine — sending Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby in his place, The Hill and Politico reported on 14 April.
Hegseth's record of absence
Hegseth called in rather than attending the UDCG in person in April 2025, then did not participate at all in the June 2025 meeting — the first total absence by a US defense secretary in three years since the group was created. He also skipped the February 2026 meeting, at which Colby attended in his place. Colby will now do so again on 15 April.
Hegseth's attendance has been sporadic throughout the past year, which Politico says reflects a Trump administration that "has other priorities and increasingly expects Europe to shoulder the burden of supplying weapons to Kyiv."
US warns allies: Patriots could be interrupted for Ukraine, as supplies could shift to Iran war
The UK and Germany took over chairing the UDCG after the Trump administration surrendered its leadership role shortly after taking office. UK defense chief John Healey and German defense minister Boris Pistorius will lead Wednesday's meeting — as they have led every session since February 2025.
The US absence extends beyond Hegseth. NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich is also unable to attend. His deputy, UK Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer, will attend in his place, along with German Maj. Gen. Ulf Häussler, deputy commander of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine mission.
Before Russia’s all-out war, Ukraine imported almost no weapons. Four years later, it buys more than any country on Earth
PURL warning clouds the meeting
The most consequential US signal ahead of the meeting is a warning from American officials in late March that weapons supplies to Ukraine could be interrupted in the coming months as the Pentagon prioritizes the Iran war. The warning specifically concerns the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) — the mechanism through which European allies fund the purchase of US-made weapons for transfer to Kyiv, including air defense systems, missiles, and ammunition.
A US official and a European diplomat with knowledge of the PURL initiative told Politico that shipments are continuing unabated for now. The PURL program has become the central focus of UDCG meetings, with billions of dollars in equipment already under contract.
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