The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee thinks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a “rookie mistake” earlier this week when he undercut Ukraine’s bargaining position with Russia before peace talks have even started.

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker has said Pete Hegseth made a “rookie mistake” in his comments about Ukraine in a speech at NATO HQ. Pro-Ukraine Wicker, who backed Hegseth when allegations that he liked to drink on the job surfaced,

Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the defense secretary made a ‘rookie mistake.’

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) painted recent remarks from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on whether Ukraine would be welcomed into NATO a “rookie mistake.” “Hegseth is going to be a great Defense

Wicker went on to compare Hegseth’s remarks to something far-right commentator Tucker Carlson would have written. Carlson received backlash for his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin last year and has baselessly accused the Biden administration of trying to “kill” the leader.

Democratic Senator Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, blasted the Trump administration this week for “caving” to “Putin’s demands” after Ukraine “fought tooth and nail for its very survival, heroically withstanding barbaric tactics and unspeakable violence from Russia.”

According to Politico reporting, Republican Sen. Roger Wicker called Hegseth's speech on Ukraine a “rookie mistake," adding, "It is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool.