Fact Check: Did Pete Hegseth and Vladimir Putin exchange threats of military retaliation?

WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a heated exchange making threats of drone and missile strikes against each other.

The claim has sparked concerns about conflict between the two nations, prompting a fact check into the rumor.

Claim: Pete Hegseth and Vladimir Putin traded barbs

The claim surfaced as a post on X, showing an alleged conversation between Hegseth and Putin, where the War Secretary stated, “Let’s be crystal clear. If a single hostile drone touches American soil, we won't just hit your bases; we will erase your entire military infrastructure before sunrise."

Putin purportedly hit back, saying, “You talk about sunrises while sitting behind two oceans. Our hypersonic missiles don't wait for morning, and your defense systems can't even track them."

The post has garnered tens of thousands of views as of this writing, with many expressing concerns over a possible military escalation between two superpowers, suggesting that many believe the exchange to be authentic.

Fact Check: The claim originated as satire

However, the claim is false, as there are no reports of such an exchange between Hegseth and Putin.

There are no publicly available transcripts, statements, or press releases from the two of them that support the claim.

If the rumor were true, given the sensationalism of the claim, it would have been widely covered by credible news media outlets, making headlines, but a search on Google for the claim yielded no such media reports.

Moreover, the claim was posted by an X account that describes itself in the bio as a ‘parody account’ and has posted several such fabricated conversations for the sake of engagement.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner meet Vladimir Putin

The claim surfaced as President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Putin for more than three hours as the administration sought to restart efforts toward ending the war in Ukraine, which ended without any breakthrough.

“So first of all, President Putin, thank you so much for having us. We were sitting outside just now… and we were all talking about when we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all,” Witkoff told Putin through a translator, opening the meeting.

Putin responded, “Thank you very much,” according to the Kremlin’s official transcript.