US Air Force Boeing aircraft faces mid-air emergency, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth likely on-board, claim

US Air Force Boeing aircraft was squawking 7700 and returning to Brussels after reported depressurization issue. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is likely to be on board US Air Force Boeing aircraft, as per multiple reports.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hegseth warned that the United States and its allies would "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 Defence Contact Group of Kyiv's allies at NATO headquarters.


Hegseth did not elaborate. His comments came as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is considering a request by Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he expected further pledges, noting that $2 billion already had been committed through the mechanism.

However, this amount falls short of the $3.5 billion Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had hoped to secure by October.

Sweden, Estonia, and Finland pledged contributions on Wednesday. But bigger powers such as France and Britain have made no such commitments, despite Hegseth urging all of Kyiv's allies to contribute to the PURL programme.

Ukraine remains heavily reliant on U.S. weapons as it braces for another winter of grinding conflict with Russia, which now holds around 20% of Ukraine more than three-and-a-half years into its full-scale invasion.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy reported on Tuesday that average monthly military aid to Ukraine fell by 43% in July and August compared with the first half of the year.

According to the institute, most military support now flows through the PURL initiative, which by August had been joined by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

FAQs

Q1. Who is US Defense Secretary?
A1. US Defense Secretary is Pete Hegseth.

Q2. Who is President of USA?
A2. President of USA is Donald Trump.