Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz at the Pentagon, Tuesday, May 27, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- For the first time since the U.S. created an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine three years ago, America's Pentagon chief will not be in attendance when more than 50 other defense leaders meet Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth , who returned from a national security conference in Singapore on Sunday, will not arrive in Brussels until Wednesday evening, after the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's meeting is over.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling details, confirmed that Hegseth also

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