Trump was asked whether Washington plans to withdraw from NATO
Pete Hegset (Photo: HOW HWEE YOUNG / EPA)

Asked whether Washington plans to withdraw from NATO, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, "That's not what we're discussing here." The official made the statement while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Sky News reports.

Hegseth said it was "very encouraging" to hear allies say they need to spend more on defense. The Trump administration has consistently advocated for this spending to increase to 5% in all NATO member countries.

The journalist asked the head of the Pentagon whether the United States was considering withdrawing from NATO if it felt that the allies were not being active enough.

"That's not what we're here [at the ministerial meeting] to discuss," the US Defense Secretary replied.

He added that the Alliance was "sleepwalking into irrelevance", and said that countries thanked Trump for "reviving" NATO.