Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend a Wednesday meeting of 50 defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels that has been critical to coordinating military aid for Ukraine, marking the first time in three years a Pentagon chief has skipped the event.

Axar.az informs, citing Politico, the regular meetings of NATO defense ministers and others have coordinated funding for the Ukraine war, and have emerged as a key component for Western aid for Kyiv as it has battled Russian forces. But the Trump administration has distanced itself from the group, handing over leadership to the U.K. and Germany.

Hegseth’s absence appears to signal further softening of the Trump administration’s relationship with Europe, and Ukraine.

The Defense secretary will be in Brussels for Thursday’s meeting of NATO defense ministers but his place at Wednesday’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group will be taken by U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, according to a defense official and two people familiar with their plans, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss internal matters.

The Defense Department cited scheduling issues.

“Secretary Hegseth’s travel schedule precluded attendance at tomorrow’s UDCG meeting,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement. “The United States is focused on ending the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible, on terms that establish an enduring peace.”