Their agenda included increased defence spending, NATO’s role in conventional defence for Europe, and ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine.
“It was an excellent meeting today with my French counterpart,” Hegseth stated following the talks. “We discussed the imperative need for Europeans to meet a 5% defence spending commitment to restore deterrence with ready, lethal conventional forces.”
The meeting follows Hegseth’s participation in the NATO defence ministers’ summit in Brussels in February, where he first raised concerns about Europe’s defence responsibilities.
Since then, similar points have been reiterated in private conversations with allied leaders, including France.
In earlier remarks, Hegseth emphasised that European countries must take greater ownership of their security.
“Our expectation of our friends, and we say this in solidarity, is you have to spend more on your defence, for your country, on that continent,” he said.
Hegseth also made clear that the United States should not be seen as the “permanent guarantor” of Europe’s security.
The discussion with Lecornu reflects a broader push by Washington for European allies to strengthen their conventional military capabilities through increased investment.
Source: U.S. Department of Defense.
