Washington [US], October 16 (ANI): US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's aircraft made an emergency landing in the United Kingdom after a windshield crack was detected during his return flight from a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting, the Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated in a post on X that the landing was carried out 'based on standard procedures' and confirmed that everyone on board, including Secretary Hegseth, was safe.

Sharing details of the incident, Parnell wrote, 'On the way back to the United States from NATO's Defense Ministers' meeting, Secretary of War Hegseth's plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft windshield. The plane landed based on standard procedures, and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe.'

The incident occurred just hours after Hegseth attended a high-level NATO meeting in Brussels, where he issued a strong warning to Moscow over its ongoing war against Ukraine. He cautioned that if Russia's aggression continues, the United States and its NATO allies would 'impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression,' CNN reported.

Speaking at the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Hegseth emphasized that the alliance's response would focus on bolstering Ukraine's defense capabilities. 'Firepower, that's what is coming,' he said, referring to European nations' purchases of US-made weapons, though it remains unclear whether that support will include Tomahawk missiles.

According to CNN, Hegseth urged NATO allies to increase their commitments under the new Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, calling for concrete actions to strengthen Ukraine's defenses. 'Turn words into action in the form of PURL investments. All countries around this table, no free riders,' Hegseth said.

Ukraine continues to rely heavily on US military aid more than three years into Russia's full-scale invasion. While $2 billion has been pledged under the PURL initiative, it falls short of the $3.5 billion target set by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (ANI)