**US Secretary of State’s Flight Delayed by Cracked Windscreen**
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had to make an emergency landing back at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington DC after his plane developed a cracked windscreen. The plane was on its way to the Munich Security Conference.
Despite the mid-air scare, Rubio and his team were not the main focus of attention at the conference. Instead, it was the US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, who made headlines with his speech.
**US Concessions to Russia**
Hegseth’s speech suggested that Ukraine would have to make significant concessions to sign a peace deal with Russia brokered by President Trump. This included giving up its demand for NATO membership and accepting that it couldn’t win back its occupied territory.
Critics, including some Republicans in Washington, were quick to condemn Hegseth’s words as a US capitulation to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s certainly an innovative approach to a negotiation to make very major concessions even before they have started,” said former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt.
**Hegseth Walks Back His Comments**
However, Hegseth later clarified that all options were still on the table for Trump to use as leverage in negotiations between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Hegseth claimed he was simply pointing out realism and had not made any undue concessions to Moscow.
**Confusion Over US Foreign Policy**
The speech and subsequent clarifications have sparked confusion over the US’s position on Ukraine. Vice-President JD Vance later suggested that the US could use military tools of leverage to compel Russia to make a deal, which contradicts Hegseth’s earlier statement.
President Trump seemed unaware of what Hegseth was going to say, but claimed he was “generally” aware of his defence secretary’s intentions.
**Uncertainty and Risk**
The confusion over US foreign policy has raised concerns about the risks of mistakes or miscalculations in an already violent and uncertain world. Some have suggested that Trump is using the “madman” theory of foreign relations, which involves being unpredictable to keep allies close and adversaries on their toes.
However, this approach also carries significant risks, as seen in Trump’s previous proposals for Gaza, which sparked confusion and contradiction among his officials.