Hegseth says US will 'impose costs' on Russia if Ukraine war does not end

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, after a meeting of NATO defence ministers at the alliance's headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium October 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday the United States and its allies would take the steps necessary to "impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression" if the war in Ukraine does not come to an end.

"If we must take this step, the U.S. War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do," Hegseth said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of Kyiv's allies at NATO headquarters.