Balgarianovinite.com
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addresses a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
A New York Times deep dive alleges that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth donned makeup for a February meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart during which he seemed much more concerned with his appearance than policy.
The Times published a comprehensive story about the Trump administration’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Tuesday in which it suggested that Hegseth began his tenure at the Pentagon “as something of a blank slate on the war.”
“He didn’t have any of his own thoughts on Russia and Ukraine,” an ex-Pentagon official told the Gray Lady. “But he had civilian advisers who did.”
The piece continued:
On Day 4, the freshly minted defense secretary sat at a Pentagon conference table as one of his coterie of advisers argued for an immediate U-turn.
The ideological godfather of the group was Elbridge A. Colby, grandson of the Nixon-era C.I.A. director William E. Colby. The younger Mr. Colby and Mr. Vance had been introduced in 2015 by an editor at National Review who thought they were like-minded. Nearly nine years later, as Mr. Biden poured billions of dollars into arming Ukraine, Mr. Colby argued that “we would have been better served to put a lot more of that money to use in the Pacific.”
Now, it was one of his disciples, Dan Caldwell, presenting the group’s recommendations to Mr. Hegseth, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other military leaders.
The Pentagon, Mr. Caldwell argued, should pause delivery of certain munitions that the Biden administration had promised to Ukraine, because, he believed, existing stocks were insufficient to execute America’s war plans around the world. Nor should it use the additional $3.8 billion left unspent by the Biden administration to buy weapons for Ukraine.
General Brown did not speak as Mr. Caldwell wrapped up. He simply shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
During a trip to Europe the next month, Hegseth reportedly made sure to powder his nose for the cameras, but declined to answer Ukrainian defense minister Rustem Umerov’s queries:
The Ukrainians had repeatedly requested a proper sit-down. Instead it would be a brief stand-up affair in an anteroom.
Beforehand, according to an American official present, Mr. Hegseth dabbed his nose with powder from a small compact. “Look commanding,” he told one aide. The handshake with the Ukrainian might be shown on Fox; the president might be watching.
Then the standing meeting began, Mr. Umerov coming in close, taking his voice down to a whisper, assuring the secretary that he knew America’s political and security agenda might be changing. He didn’t ask for new aid. He just needed to know one thing: Would the U.S. military continue to supply the munitions Ukraine was counting on, the ones approved by Mr. Biden? Every delivery sustained the lives of Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines; every delivery that didn’t arrive one day meant those soldiers would die the next.
Again and again, Mr. Umerov repeated his plea: “I just need you to be honest with me. Just be honest with me.”
Hegseth allegedly offered Umerov only nodding.
“He wasn’t pleading for the answer that he wanted, but just for honesty, some indication,” observed one U.S. official. “He was saying: You can trust me; you can trust us. Just tell me what you guys are thinking.”
The post New York Times Deep Dive Alleges Pete Hegseth Donned Makeup for Ukraine Photo Op — Then Ignored Counterpart first appeared on Mediaite.
New York Times Deep Dive Alleges Pete Hegseth Donned Makeup for Ukraine Photo Op — Then Ignored Counterpart 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-31 19:01:12 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
