Pete Hegseth’s war cry at Marine Corps Base Quantico may have drawn groans at home, but it landed with a strangely sympathetic echo in Moscow.
The former Fox News host turned defense secretary thundered before a crowd of generals and admirals on Tuesday and told them that America must “prepare for war” to “ensure peace.”
In one of the speech’s most toe-curling moments, Hegseth warned that adversaries who “challenge us” would be “crushed by the violence, precision, and ferocity of the War Department.” Then came his clumsy mic-drop line: “In other words, to our enemies, FAFO. If necessary, our troops can translate that for you.”
Aside from the ‘F— around and find out line,’ his chest-thumping rhetoric sounded like Russian strongman posturing—and on Wednesday, the Kremlin practically nodded along.
“We, too, are committed to strengthening our Armed Forces while fully supporting peace,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, invoking the old maxim: “If you want peace, prepare for war.”
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Peskov added that Moscow is closely monitoring U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements, suggesting that Hegseth’s speech was not dismissed as mere bluster.
“Of course, we analyze all of President Trump’s statements with great attention,” Peskov told reporters.
The irony is thick. Hours after Hegseth channeled his inner drill sergeant, Trump himself jabbed at Vladimir Putin, mocking the Russian leader’s failure to secure a quick victory in Ukraine.
“You don’t look good. You’re four years fighting a war that should have taken a week. Are you a paper tiger?” Trump said, repeating a recent social media swipe.
The Kremlin brushed off Trump’s taunt, with Peskov insisting negotiations with Kyiv had stalled because Ukraine “was not rushing” to return to talks in Istanbul. Moscow has vowed to push ahead militarily despite Trump’s depiction of Russia as a flailing, hollowed-out power.
But Peskov’s alignment with Hegseth’s swagger underscored a shared worldview between Washington’s war hawks and the Kremlin’s top brass, who both believe saber-rattling secures peace.
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