Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure allies in Brussels on Wednesday that the current administration in Washington would not waver in its support for Ukraine in the weeks that remain until Donald Trump returns to the White House.
“President Biden is committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20,” Blinken told journalists on the sidelines of talks at the NATO military alliance.
“We’re making sure that Ukraine has the air defenses it needs, that it has the artillery it needs, that it has the armored vehicles it needs,” he added.
President-elect Donald Trump has been critical of US aid to Kyiv — and some in Europe fear his promise to swiftly end the war would boil down to a Ukrainian forced capitulation to Russian demands.
Blinken’s pledge to free up all previously approved US military assistance funding was welcomed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Meetings with NATO chief Mark Rutte, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, EU top diplomat Josep Borrell and his soon-to-be successor Kaja Kallas were all on Blinken’s agenda in Brussels as he shuttled across the city in a tightly choreographed day of diplomacy.
No movement on Ukraine’s long-range weapons request
An EU source told DW the talks focused primarily on what the Biden administration can achieve in the next two months — rather than what happens after Trump takes office.
“They can still do things,” the diplomat told DW. “We want them to continue what they are doing. As much as possible and as fast as possible.”
Ukraine has long requested permission to use US long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia — and Sybiha made the case once more on Wednesday.
So far, Washington has resisted Kyiv’s calls, and Blinken had no policy change to announce at NATO when a Ukrainian journalist pressed him on the issue.
“I am convinced that we will continue to adapt and adjust as necessary,” he said.
Blinken asks Europe to step up
But Blinken came with another message for Europe, too.
“The United States has dedicated about $100 billion (€94.5 billion) to Ukraine. Allies and partners around the world: $150 billion,” he told reporters. “But it’s also a moment for everyone to do more.
“We’re counting on European partners and others to strongly support Ukraine’s mobilization with training and equipment for these forces. We need to see more artillery, more air defenses, more munitions getting to the Ukrainians,” Blinken added.
Blinken said he was “convinced” based on conversations in Brussels that European allies would continue support to Kyiv.
“And not only continue, I expect it to increase, and that our partners will continue to more than pick up their share of the burden,” he added.
EU mulls how to ramp up defense capacity
How to make good on the promise to double down on backing Ukraine has catapulted to the top of Brussels’ agenda since the US election.
If they want to provide more military support, European Union countries need access to more arms, more quickly. And that means ramping up weapons supply chains.
“Once Donald Trump becomes president, we will see aid to Ukraine dry up,” Valerie Hayer, a French member of the European Parliament, said during a plenary debate on Wednesday. She warned Europe’s defense market was “too fragmented” and investment was too low.
Brussels has just named a new official to try and address those concerns. The bloc’s first-ever defense commissioner is expected to take office next month, following up on past work to try and pool European demand and incentivize manufacturers to produce more on the continent.
And that’s not the only idea circulating.
Earlier this week, the Financial Times newspaper reported that Brussels was also mulling a policy rewrite to allow regional development funds under the bloc’s so-called “cohesion policy” to be redirected to defense and security projects.
That could, in theory, free up billions of euros. The report, however, was swiftly denied by the European Commission, the bloc’s executive.
In a sign of just how controversial a defense-focused funding shake-up could be, the president of the European Committee of the Regions told DW he was concerned by the idea.
Vasco Alves Cordeiro warned that the future of regional funding was now “at risk … because of the temptation of using cohesion policy as a money pot to support many different priorities.”
Cordeiro, who chairs the EU body bringing together local mayors and regional representatives, said the main goal of the regional funds “should remain to reinforce economic, social and territorial cohesion, like fighting inequalities and strengthening territorial resilience in face of the climate crisis.”
Europe treads carefully in Biden-Trump transition
In the coming weeks, EU officials and leaders will continue scheduled talks with representatives of the outgoing US administration. But Europe’s decision-makers know they have to look ahead to January and prepare for a change of tune out of Washington.
Leaders have been busy congratulating Trump on his election and posting warm words online about the bond between their countries and the United States. Still, few harbor any illusions in Brussels — transatlantic ties hit a low during the first Trump presidency and will likely be strained again after his inauguration in January.
Blinken is expected back in Brussels in early December for the last meeting of NATO foreign ministers before Trump takes office. It could also be the last NATO meeting for Germany’s Annalena Baerbock as snap elections in February are expected to usher in political change in Berlin.
Edited by: Sean M. Sinico
