Europe must take responsibility for supporting Ukraine, US official says

The United States expects Europe to take primary responsibility for its own conventional defence and assume a leading role in supporting Ukraine, Elbridge Colby, US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, has said.

Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, he made clear that Washington wants to discuss with its allies a transition to European leadership in conventional defence while maintaining US participation in NATO, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“Europe takes primary responsibility for its own conventional defense. In addition, Europe takes a leading role in supporting Ukraine,” Colby noted.

He also confirmed that the United States had sent European allies a questionnaire asking them to provide assessments and plans regarding the future organisation of Europe’s defence.

Colby stressed that Europe remains an important US interest despite Washington’s focus on the Western Hemisphere.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov