President Donald Trump’s pick to lead policy for the Pentagon, Elbridge Colby, refused to acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine during a confirmation hearing, making him the second top Defense Department nominee in a week to equivocate on the question. Colby, a former Pentagon official nominated to be the undersecretary of defense for policy, said he wouldn’t comment on “delicate topics” and avoided using the term “invasion”.
Colby’s hesitation comes as US policy towards Ukraine is shifting. The White House has paused all remaining military aid to Kyiv, citing a disastrous meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The decision was made after Zelenskyy failed to agree to share rare earth minerals in exchange for US support.
Colby has been an outspoken critic of US military aid to Ukraine, arguing that the country’s military is overextended and risks losing a war abroad unless it trims its foreign commitments. He believes the US should redirect military assets from Europe and the Middle East towards Asia to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
His views contrast with those of traditional Republican defense hawks, who argue for a surge in military spending to meet global threats. Colby’s nomination has sparked testy questions from other Republicans on the committee, who are pushing back against his arguments.
Source: https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2025/03/04/pentagon-nominee-deflects-on-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-in-hearing