Pete Hegseth’s aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing following an intense NATO summit centered on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

While traveling over the Atlantic on Wednesday, the Boeing C-32A carrying the Secretary of War encountered a windshield crack, prompting a diversion back to England, where it safely landed at RAF Mildenhall.

“The plane landed as per standard procedures, and all passengers, including Secretary Hegseth, are safe,” stated Pentagon Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell in a post on X.

This incident follows reports of Russian GPS interference targeting European defense ministers after discussions concerning the Ukraine war.

Prior to the emergency landing, Hegseth issued a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, emphasizing that the United States is ready to employ all necessary military measures to resolve the conflict.

Addressing NATO leaders in Brussels, Hegseth declared, “If a peaceful resolution cannot be achieved in the near term, the U.S. War Department is prepared to take action in ways that only the United States can.”

America ‘remains clear-eyed about the fact that the most effective deterrents to Russian aggression are number one: a lethal, capable and European-led NATO, and number two: a combat credible Ukrainian military’, he added.

His latest remarks contrast sharply with his stance during his February visit to NATO headquarters, where he suggested that US attention would pivot away from Europe in favor of more urgent challenges elsewhere in the world. 

According to Flight Radar, the plane, a Boeing C-32A, was leaving Belgium but during flight an emergency was declared while flying over the Atlantic, which made them return to the UK

Parnell posted on X Wednesday afternoon, saying the Secretary of War’s plane had to make an unscheduled landing because of a crack in the plane’s windshield

Donald Trump’s unexpected August sit-down with Putin in Alaska raised alarm in Kyiv and throughout Europe, as many feared the meeting signaled a willingness to entertain Moscow’s perspective on the war.

In late September, a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen encountered GPS jamming while flying over Bulgaria, an act widely suspected to be the result of Russian electronic warfare.

Just weeks later, a Spanish military jet transporting defense minister Margarita Robles experienced similar interference near Russia’s Kaliningrad region en route to Lithuania.

In another case, former UK defense secretary Grant Shapps’s aircraft faced GPS jamming during its return flight from Poland to Britain.

After earning rare global praise for brokering a high-stakes hostage swap and temporary ceasefire in Gaza, President Trump is riding a wave of diplomatic momentum — but the stakes are about to get even higher.

Since a frosty Oval Office clash in February — when Trump and Vice-President JD Vance openly scolded Zelenskyy for what they called a lack of gratitude — the dynamic between the two leaders has thawed.

Trump has shed his earlier hands-off approach with Putin, shifting instead to a tougher line and declaring that Ukraine could and should reclaim their land.

In a fiery September Truth Social post, he dubbed Russia a ‘paper tiger’ and, for the first time, labeled it the war’s aggressor.

President Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, marking a shift toward strengthening US-Ukraine relations following months of pressuring Kyiv to make compromises in its conflict with Russia.

This came after a recent phone call between the US and Ukrainian presidents discussing the likely transfer of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, which would enable deeper strikes into Russian territory.

While Trump had previously resisted the idea due to concerns about escalating the three-and-a-half-year war, two sources familiar with the conversations say the plan is now under renewed consideration, a topic the two leaders will discuss on Friday.

Trump has made threats to send the weapons to Kyiv if Russia’s president does not come to the peace table.

The Daily Mail reached out to the Pentagon for comment.