A Pentagon spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
“The strength of the NATO alliance was significantly enhanced as a result of American leadership at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group [and] the creation of these capability coalitions,” said Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair. “For the next UDCG meeting, I think the United Kingdom is going to step into that role temporarily, but the leadership will continue.”
The U.K. is a major supporter of Ukraine, with successive governments funneling billions of pounds in military aid to Kyiv while training thousands of troops.
The Trump administration’s views on the UDCG remain unclear, and it’s still uncertain whether the U.K. will take on leadership beyond Wednesday’s meeting. The contact group nations are still negotiating who will permanently lead the group going forward, officials said.
“The Brits can coordinate as well as anybody. There’s not a lot of trust in the U.S. right now, we’re just too unpredictable,” said Jim Townsend, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO.
“In terms of providing assistance themselves, it’ll be hard to fill the gap from the U.S.,” Townsend added. “They’re just not going to be able to do that.”
This article has been updated. Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch reported from Washington.