US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged France to increase its defense spending and, alongside other NATO allies, take primary responsibility for Europe's conventional defense, the US Defense Department said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement from chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell followed a meeting between Hegseth and French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu in Washington.
Parnell said the two also discussed efforts toward a "durable peace" in Ukraine, without giving further details.