President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary was criticized over the war in Ukraine during a Jan. 14 confirmation hearing after he failed to mention Russia’s full-scale invasion in his opening statements.

Speaking to the Armed Services Committee, Pete Hegseth was asked whether the omission was “code for ‘We will abandon Ukraine’.”

“We know who the attacker is,” Hegseth replied, adding: “We know who the good guy is. We want the solution to the war to be as beneficial as possible for the Ukrainians.”

“But this war must end,” he added.

Reuters reports that the Armed Services Committee is expected to vote on Hegseth’s confirmation as early as Monday. It will then be considered by the full U.S. Senate.

Hegseth’s nomination in November sent shockwaves through Pentagon corridors, with officials anonymously questioning his qualifications to lead the department.

He would lead 1.3 million troops and over 750,000 civilians, have a budget of $850 billion, hold meetings with U.S. allies and serve as a key defense policy maker and adviser.

Hegseth, a former conservative talk show host on Fox News, is considered an isolationist who has called for a reduction in U.S. involvement in the NATO military alliance.

He previously served as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and completed multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

After his discharge from the Army, he became head of the conservative organization Concerned Veterans for America and published a book in June 2024 entitled “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”

Hegseth also ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Minnesota in 2012.

Ukraine targeted Russia’s industrial facilities and ammunition depots in a “massive” attack overnight

Chemical plants, refineries, the Engels air base and other facilities in Russia were successfully attacked, a source in Ukraine’s security service told the Kyiv Independent.