WATCH | Hegseth tells Europe to spend on defence as US presence may not last forever

European countries need to invest now in defence because it is not possible to assume that the US's presence on the continent will last forever, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday during a visit to Warsaw, Poland.

Pointing to Poland, which plans to spend 4.7% of GDP on defence this year, as a model ally, Hegseth doubled down on Washington's demands that European Nato allies take on more of the financial burden for their own security.

"What happens five or 10 or 15 years from now is part of a larger discussion that reflects the threat level, America's posture, our needs around the globe, but most significantly, the capability of European countries to step up," he told a news conference.

"And that's why our message is so stark to our European allies. Now is the time to invest, because you can't make an assumption that America's presence will last forever."

Echoing remarks made during a Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels in which warned Europe against treating Washington like a "sucker" ultimately responsible for European defence, he said Washington was facing many threats, including from China.

In his overseas debut after taking charge of the Pentagon on January 24, Hegseth has kindled an outcry in Europe after announcing on Wednesday that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and that the Trump administration does not see Nato membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the war triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion.

Hegseth's critics say the remarks amounted to the US giving up its leverage in negotiations with Russia before they even started, in what they described as a major victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hegseth has defended his remarks as acknowledgement of battlefield realities and left the door open for US moves during negotiations that could be seen as concessions, including on issues like US military aid to Ukraine and troop levels in Europe.