European Security — 2026-04-14
Hegseth Skips Ramstein Again; Colby to Represent Pentagon at Ukraine Defense Contact Group
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will again miss the
Analysis
Sending Colby, whose public stance prioritizes China deterrence over European commitments, is itself a policy signal. Colby's attendance communicates that Ukraine support is a subordinate priority managed by the official whose strategic framework explicitly deprioritizes it. The shift to Pistorius and Healey as co-chairs completes the transition to European ownership of the Contact Group that had been gradual under Hegseth's sporadic attendance, formalizing a burden-transfer that the €4 billion Germany-Ukraine deal on the same day makes concrete.
Sending Colby, whose public stance prioritizes China deterrence over European commitments, is itself a policy signal. Colby's attendance communicates that Ukraine support is a subordinate priority managed by the official whose strategic framework explicitly deprioritizes it. The shift to Pistorius and Healey as co-chairs completes the transition to European ownership of the Contact Group that had been gradual under Hegseth's sporadic attendance, formalizing a burden-transfer that the €4 billion Germany-Ukraine deal on the same day makes concrete.
2 sources
- Hegseth to skip Ramstein again, Elbridge Colby to represent Pentagon at meeting -
Interfax-Ukraine - Elbridge Colby, not Hegseth, to attend virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting -
Washington Examiner