Hegseth, who on Saturday wraps up a week-long trip to Europe, including Belgium, Germany and Poland, visited Polish and American soldiers at the 33rd Airlift Base in Powidz, alongside his Polish counterpart Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
Upon arriving at the base, the officials engaged with the soldiers and toured the equipment on display. To conclude the visit, the Pentagon chief honored the troops with commemorative coins as a gesture of gratitude for their service.
Neither official spoke to reporters, who were allowed only in a designated area and were not given a chance to ask questions throughout the event.
On Friday, following a series of meetings with top officials in Warsaw, Hegseth called Poland a "model ally" in Europe.
Addressing US troop presence in Eastern Europe, Hegseth said that Washington remains engaged in NATO’s defense mission but added that future deployments will depend on evolving security needs and European nations' defense capabilities.
However, Hegseth's attention-grabbing overseas debut may have alienated allies in Europe where his statements on Ukraine and NATO went down like a lead balloon, the Reuters news agency said.
Speaking at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Hegseth said a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and the Trump administration does not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the war triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion.
Speaking to reporters, Hegseth said: "Make no mistake: President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker'.
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Source: PAP, Reuters