During an interview aired on Friday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that the Biden administration has gotten Europe “to step up and do more” on the Russia-Ukraine war.
Co-host Steve Inskeep asked, [relevant exchange begins around 5:50] “There are Republicans who’ve spoken on this program who have said, hey, Europe should step up. They should be paying more. I’m curious if that’s possible for this reason: Ukraine started the war with a lot of old, Soviet-made, Russian-made gear. They’ve transitioned to a lot of U.S.-made weapons, in part. Is it essential — is it absolutely indispensable that the U.S. continue to aid them now because of the way that they are armed?”
Sullivan responded, “U.S support is indispensable, but that’s not inconsistent with asking the Europeans to step up and do more, which we’ve done and which they have responded to. In fact, a substantial amount of the military assistance going to Ukraine right now is coming from our European allies and partners. We’ve rallied a coalition of 50 nations to make major contributions in weapons systems and other capabilities. But, to your question, there is no substitute for the kinds of resources and the types of capabilities that only the United States can provide.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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