The US secretary of defence says that after World War Two, US President Eisenhower was concerned Nato allies were not shouldering enough.

Pete Hegseth says President Donald Trump's administration "believes in alliances, deeply believes in alliances".

"But make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker."

• As a reminder: The war in Ukraine was at the top of the agenda for defence chiefs who gathered in Brussels today for a Nato meeting. This comes after US President Donald Trump confirmed he had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the possibility of bringing an end to the war.

Hegseth tells journalists in Brussels he discussed the war in Ukraine in a meeting with the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which was participated by Nato ministers and the Ukrainian council.

He says he had the chance to "brief allies" on Trump's priority for a "diplomatic, peaceful end to this war as quickly as possible" in a way that creates an enduring and durable peace.

He adds that the US looks forward to working with allies to support this "important work".

As a reminder, you can follow Hegseth's statement by clicking Watch Live above.

Pete Hegseth is addressing reporters and says Nato must "achieve peace through strength".

He shares the direction he was given by President Trump to "put America first", including its taxpayers, borders and security.

Nato is the "most successful defence alliance in history" but must increase spending, readiness and "lethality", Hegseth says.

We will "make Nato great again", he adds

Image source, Reuters

We're now tuning into a news conference by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Brussels.

We'll bring you the top lines as we get them and you can watch it live above.

While we were covering that news conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Ukraine "will of course one way or another be taking part in the negotiations".

"There will be a bilateral Russian-American track of that dialogue, and a track that will be associated with the involvement of Ukraine," the TASS News agency quoted Peskov saying.

Image source, Reuters

The BBC's Russian service is now questioning Rutte about his comments that Nato knew the call between US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin was imminent.

The Nato secretary general says the military alliance "always knew" the call was "imminent" but did not know "that particular time slot".

"We knew a call would happen soon," he says, adding that teams consult each other and share what they're doing.

Rutte is now answering questions on if the US is going to withdraw security spending in Europe, after the US Secretary of Defence said Europeans need to take ownership on their own.

"The US is quite irritated" and has been for a long time, Rutte says, adding that Trump has made it "very clear" that the US is spending much more on defence than the averages spent in the rest of Nato.

He adds that Nato spent 20% more last year, excluding US support, which means that they can spend more, but this is still not nearly enough.

He says it has to be much more than 2% - it should be at least 3%, which is a necessary "burden shift".

Mark Rutte is now being asked by journalists if he's "giving Putin what he wants".

He says Nato committed to giving Ukraine membership in the future, but it had "never been agreed" this would be a term of peace talks with Russia.

Vladimir Putin has constantly opposed Ukraine's Nato membership, so some members worry demanding it as a guarantee in peace talks would cause him to prolong the war.

Instead, Rutte says Nato must make sure the Russian president will "never ever try again to attack Ukraine".

You can watch Rutte answering questions by journalists by clicking Watch Live above.

The BBC asks Mark Rutte if he agrees with the German defence minister's comments saying US President Donald Trump has made concessions before negotiations have begun.

Rutte says he's "not in a position" to comment on what everyone is saying.

He says Trump made "clear" during his presidential election campaign his views on the war in Ukraine, and adds that Nato knew a few days ago that "talks were imminent".

Rutte adds Nato needs to make sure that talks result in a "lasting outcome".

Image source, Reuters

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is still answering questions from the media at a news conference in Brussels.

When asked if he believes Putin wants to end the war, Rutte says he doesn't know what is in Putin's mind.

He says he's had many meetings with the Russian president and describes him as a strong negotiator, but an unpredictable person.

Rutte says if Nato wants to achieve a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, it needs to navigate the talks in a way Putin knows and makes sure he understands the conditions.

Rutte has just been asked if Ukraine is starting negotiations from a place of weakness.

"No, and I do not completely agree with you," he responds, adding that if talks start, "they will not end on day one or day two".

He says they need a "path" to makes sure the talks are successful, and that it is important to makes sure Putin understands that Ukraine is getting "all the support it needs to prevail".

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is now taking questions from the media.

A reporter asks if all Nato allies are "united" in the belief that Ukraine must be at the negotiating table.

He says all Nato allies are "united" that, when negotiation talks start, Ukraine must be in the "best possible position".

"Ukraine will be involved in any way whatsoever," he says.

He says that whatever the outcome is "we have to make sure Putin will not try to grab another square mile, kilometre of Ukraine".

• As a reminder: Nato defence chiefs met in Brussels earlier to discuss the alliance's security priorities, and the war in Ukraine was at the top of the agenda

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte says Nato must switch to a "wartime mindset" as he delivers a statement in Brussels.

He says Nato provided €50 billion in support to Ukraine, with 60% of this coming from Europe and Canada.

This comes after US President Donald Trump called on other Nato members to increase their contributions.

Rutte says a new military support package has been announced for Ukraine, which sends a "clear symbol" Europe and Canada are taking on more of the burden.

Remember, you can watch the statement by Rutte by clicking Watch Live above.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is continuing to speak in Brussels today and says the alliance will endorse a robust defence plan and need significantly more in defence spending.

He adds that he expects many defence ministers will return home with a greater sense of urgency to increase support for security.

Image source, Reuters

We're hearing now from Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who says it has been a "busy 24 hours" for Nato, expressing his "shock" and "sadness" at the attack in Munich.

Nato has welcomed US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth who he says has come with a "clear message" of America's "enduring commitment" to a "strong Nato alliance".

He adds that the US defence secretary made America's expectations "clear" on allies carrying their "fair share of the burden".

"We all agree we need to put Ukraine in the best possible position for negotiations," Rutte says.

You can watch Rutte's statement by clicking Watch Live above.

We're about to hear from Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in a news conference after today's meeting of defence ministers in Brussels.

Stay with us and we'll bring you the top lines as soon as we get them.

Image source, EPA

We are now hearing from Estonia's foreign minister, who says there cannot be "any solution" in the war "without Europe and Ukraine" involved in negotiations.

"We are not only talking about the situation in Ukraine, we’re talking about the European security architecture," Margus Tsahkna tells the BBC World Service Newshour programme.

He says Russia's President Vladimir Putin wants to "gain" through negotiation talks what he hasn't gained on the battlefield, adding "we cannot let him achieve that".

The foreign minister is asked if US President Donald Trump was right to say Europe should take responsibility for what happens in Ukraine.

"We need to invest more heavily into our capabilities, to our defence, and we need to understand that no one else is coming and will come to solve our problems," he says.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

As we've been reporting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken to reporters about US President Donald Trump's conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the future of the war.

Here's a look at what Zelensky has said:

• Ukraine "will not be able to accept any agreements" made without the country's involvement, Zelensky says
• He adds that it's "important that everything does not go according to Putin's plan", to make negotiations a bilateral conversation between Russia and the US

• The Ukrainian president says he does not see Trump's phone call with Putin "as a sign that talking to Russia was a priority for the US president"
• But, he adds, it is "not very pleasing in any case". "There can be no talk about Ukraine without Ukraine", and "Europeans need to be at the negotiating table too"
• Zelensky says he told Trump the priority for his country is "security guarantees", something he does not see without US support

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has shared his thoughts on negotiations over the war in Ukraine.

Echoing many Nato allies we've heard from today, he says it's "really important that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position" to negotiate any potential peace deal.

"Nobody wants the conflict to continue and Ukrainians – more than anybody – want the conflict to end, but we must make sure Ukraine is at the heart of this," he says.

"There can't be negotiations around Ukraine without Ukraine being at the heart of it."

To strengthen Ukraine both in talks and on the battlefield, Starmer says he's been pushing to "ramp up the money, the capability and the training that we're putting into Ukraine".

"It's really important: the strongest possible position for Ukraine. This has to be done with Ukraine," he adds.

• Read more here

Image source, EPA

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country will not accept any peace deal agreed between the US and Russia, without Kyiv's involvement.

US President Donald Trump yesterday said that during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the pair agreed that talks to end the war should start "immediately".

Speaking to reporters earlier, Zelensky says "it's important that everything does not go according to Putin's plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral [with the US]", Reuters reports.

Zelensky adds that he did not discuss Nato with Trump, but knows the US doesn't want Ukraine to become a member.