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Pentagon disagrees US should employ 'every tool' to pressure Russia

Pete Hegseth stressed that the United States had "a lot of tools in a lot of places"

WASHINGTON, June 11. /TASS/. The idea that the United States should use "every tool" to pressure Russia into resolving the conflict in Ukraine is inconsistent, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"Would you agree, Mr. Secretary, that the United States should use every tool it has at its disposal, including additional sanctions, to pressure Russia to come to the table to negotiate a just and lasting peace for the war in Ukraine?" Senator Chris Coons asked Hegseth.

Coons, a Democrat, serves as the de facto vice chairman of the defense subcommittee, which convened the hearing with Hegseth and Gen. Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Hegseth firmly rejected Coons' position. "Senator, every tool at our disposal? No," the Pentagon chief emphasized. "We have a lot of tools in a lot of places," he added.