Will Putin stop at Ukraine? US defense secretary says 'remains to be seen'

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan "Razin" Caine, whether Putin would "stop at Ukraine."

"I don't believe he is," Caine replied.

Graham also directed the same question to Hegseth.

"Remains to be seen," the Pentagon chief replied.

The senator then remarked that the answer was obvious.

"It doesn't remain to be seen. Putin tells everybody around what he wants to do," he stressed.

Graham also noted that Russia's buildup of munitions far exceeds what would be needed just for Ukraine.

"I like what you're doing. I just think we gotta get this stuff right," he told Hegseth.

Earlier, Graham had asked the defense secretary whether he agreed that the world had miscalculated in its approach to Adolf Hitler in the years leading up to World War II.

"The danger that is like 50 million people get killed. So, let's don't do that," Hegseth said.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell asked Hegseth who he believed should win the war. The defense secretary responded that the Trump administration wants the killing to stop but is not taking sides.

US military aid to Ukraine

Ukraine is currently receiving only the weapons approved for transfer by the administration of former US President Joe Biden. The current president, Donald Trump, has not yet made any decisions regarding new arms shipments to Ukraine.

Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that the United States provide new military aid using funds previously allocated by Congress last year.

Earlier last month, it was reported that the US State Department had sent a notification to Congress regarding a license to export weapons to Ukraine worth at least $50 million.

Yesterday, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stated that the US plans to reduce its budget for arms procurement for Ukraine in 2026.