President Donald Trump said he’s open to allowing Europe to buy US-made weapons to give to Ukraine, the latest twist as his administration looks to negotiate an end to the war.
The move would potentially let Ukraine use American weapons, even as the US withdraws its military support for the country, as Trump tries to negotiate an end to the three-year war.
European countries previously had purchased American weapons for Ukraine during the Biden administration.
US officials, including Trump’s Ukrainian envoy, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, will discuss the possible weapons purchases with European allies this week during the Munich Security Conference, the sources said.
It is one of several ideas the administration is discussing to potentially continue US weapons shipments to Kyiv without expending significant U.S. capital, they added.
In an interview on Monday with Reuters, Kellogg declined to confirm the plan but said, "The US always likes selling weapons made in America because it strengthens our economy.
"There are a lot of options out there. Everything is in play right now," Kellogg said, adding that the shipments previously approved by former President Joe Biden still were flowing into Ukraine.
"There's not necessarily any need in the next 24 hours to it any different," he said.
US officials have said in recent days that the Trump administration wants to recoup the billions Washington has spent on the war in Ukraine and that Europe needs to do more to help.
“I think an underlying principle here is that the Europeans have to own this conflict going forward,” US national security adviser Mike Waltz said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday.
MNA
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