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Top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas said Thursday the EU would be ready to take the lead on supporting Ukraine if the United States was no longer willing.
“I’m really sure that all the other members, and hopefully also the United States, are ready to continue with the support to Ukraine,” Kallas said on her way to a gathering of Ukraine allies in Ramstein, Germany, according to AFP.
“The European Union is also ready to take over this leadership if the United States is not willing to,” she said, adding that “we shouldn’t really speculate about future U.S. support” and it “is not in the interest of America that Russia will be the strongest force in the world.”
Kallas’ comments stand in contrast to those of her predecessor, Josep Borrell, who said last year that “Europe cannot fill the gap” when it comes to supporting Ukraine.
Ukraine and its allies are waiting for Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president on Jan. 20 to see whether Washington will keep backing Kyiv.
While Trump’s comments earlier this week, in which he said he “understands” Russian concerns regarding NATO, caused consternation among Ukraine backers, remarks by his future special envoy for Ukraine on Thursday were more reassuring.
Keith Kellogg said that Trump was “not trying to give anything to Putin or the Russians” and was “trying to save Ukraine and protect its sovereignty.” The president-elect was trying to seek a solution for the nearly three-year-old conflict within 100 days of his swearing-in, added Kellogg.
