Europe currently cannot produce the necessary weapons that Ukraine needs for defense, said the American permanent representative to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, in an interview with Fox News.
"The reality is that now Europe cannot produce the weapons that Ukraine needs on the battlefield or in the event of a potential war in Europe. Therefore, the United States is the leading manufacturer of such weapons systems and will supply them to Europe. Europe will pay for them, and this is a reasonable approach," Whitaker said.
The Permanent Representative noted that US President Donald Trump did not require European allies to take on the costs of military assistance to Ukraine, because, according to him, this is what Europe itself wants.
At the beginning of the week, Trump announced that European countries would pay for the supply of American weapons to Ukraine through NATO.
According to him, the United States will be able to transfer 17 Patriot complexes to Europe. European countries will supply Ukraine with weapons, and the United States will then replenish their arsenals.