A jet carrying Pete Hegseth made an emergency landing following a pivotal NATO summit addressing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Boeing C-32A, transporting the Secretary of War, encountered a cracked windshield while traversing the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, necessitating a landing at RAF Mildenhall in England.

Sean Parnell, the Chief Pentagon Spokesman, reassured the public on X, stating, “The plane landed following standard procedures, and everyone on board, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe.” This incident follows a pattern of Russian GPS jamming incidents targeting European defense ministers post-discussions on the Ukraine crisis.

In a powerful address earlier, Hegseth issued a direct warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He emphasized that the United States is fully prepared to employ all military options to resolve the conflict. Speaking to NATO leaders in Brussels, Hegseth declared, “If there is no immediate path to peace, the US War Department stands ready to contribute 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.

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, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps’ 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. Daily Mail reached out to the Pentagon for comment.