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EU ready to lead in Ukraine support if US steps back, chief diplomat says

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EU ready to lead in Ukraine support if US steps back, chief diplomat says
Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas speaks during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, (not pictured) at the Tapa Army Base in Tallinn, Estonia on March 1, 2022. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The European Union is prepared to take a leading role in supporting Ukraine if U.S. backing wanes, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Jan. 9 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, German media outlet Tagesschau reported.

"If the United States is not ready for it, the European Union is ready to take the lead," Kallas said.

President-elect Donald Trump and his team have expressed skepticism about the ongoing financial U.S. support for Ukraine. Michael Waltz, Trump’s incoming national security advisor, said on Dec. 15 that "a blank check... just isn’t a strategy."

Kallas emphasized that, regardless of leadership, the U.S. has "no interest in Russia being the strongest power in the world."

A report by The Wall Street Journal indicated that Trump’s team may propose delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership by 20 years in exchange for Western arms supplies and European peacekeepers to oversee a ceasefire with Russia. Trump has pledged to bring a swift end to the war but has yet to provide detailed plans for achieving peace.

Kyiv, Washington in talks on licensing air defense production in Ukraine, Zelensky says
Zelensky made this statement at the opening of the 25th Ramstein summit, which was dedicated to strengthening Ukraine’s defenses, particularly its air defense.
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Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

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