U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went toe-to-toe with Kentucky GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell during a tense Senate Appropriations hearing Tuesday.

The back-and-forth heated up quickly after McConnell asked about the Trump administration’s stance on the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The grilling comes as the Trump administration’s attitude to the Russia-Ukraine conflict appears to have shifted dramatically, from sanctions threats and bold pledges of quick settlement to a posture of disengagement and transactional diplomacy.

Trump has increasingly shown a willingness to remove the United States from any leading role in the peace effort, which has irritated allies.

Following a phone call in late May between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump reportedly informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that the United States would no longer participate in new sanctions efforts against Russia, in stark contrast to earlier rhetoric implying that only he and Putin could broker a ceasefire.

Trump and Zelensky’s relationship has also been publicly strained since their Oval Office encounter earlier this year, which grew heated.

During Wednesday’s session, McConnell, a long-time hawkish foreign policy voice, showed mainstream Republican concerns over Ukraine policy by grilling Hegseth to obtain a clear picture of the administration’s position, asking him openly who he wanted to win the conflict.