US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet NATO and EU officials on Wednesday to urgently discuss boosting support for Ukraine before Donald Trump reclaims the White House, which could jeopardize future help.

After landing in Brussels on Tuesday evening, the secretary of state’s day-long visit will see him meet NATO chief Mark Rutte, European Union chief diplomat Josep Borrell, his successor Kaja Kallas and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.

The emergency trip comes as Trump’s election victory, coupled with a political crisis in Germany, heightens fears about the future of aid to Ukraine at a key moment in the fight against the Russian invasion .

Trump has in the past expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and mocked the $175 billion the United States has committed to Ukraine since the war began in 2022.

The 78-year-old tycoon, who will be inaugurated on January 20, spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after being re-elected after a first presidential term between 2017 and 2021.

He has boasted that he could end the war in a day, likely by forcing Ukraine to make concessions, although his new national security adviser, Mike Waltz, has said Trump could also pressure Putin .

The Washington Post reported that the Republican leader also had a phone call with Putin and discouraged any escalation by Russia. The Kremlin denied this information.

The US election came as Ukraine was already bracing for the impact of thousands of North Korean troops who US intelligence says have been sent to fight alongside Russia – a potentially major escalation in the conflict.

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US media reported that Trump may choose Republican Senator Marco Rubio to replace Blinken as secretary of state.

Rubio is seen as more supportive of kyiv, but also said Washington should show “pragmatism” rather than sending billions of dollars more in arms as the war reaches a “stalemate.”

– “As long as it takes” –

The Biden administration has made clear that it plans, in its remaining weeks, to pass the more than $9 billion in funding allocated by Congress for weapons and other security assistance to Ukraine.

Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expects the United States to focus in particular on sending vehicles, medical supplies and small arms ammunition, which Ukraine has needed and that the United States can provide.

“By the end of the administration, they’re going to try to ship everything that’s available,” Cancian said.

Despite calls from kyiv, it appears unlikely that Washington will lift its veto on Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory.

Ukraine and Moscow have seen an increase in drone attacks. The New York Times reported that Russia had amassed 50,000 troops, including North Koreans, to try to dislodge Ukrainian forces that seized parts of Russia’s Kursk region several months ago.

“The situation on the battlefield is difficult. This is why we must continue to work every day,” Kallas, who is due to take over as head of European diplomacy next month, said on Tuesday, subject to Parliament’s green light.

“Today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes and with all the necessary military, financial and humanitarian assistance.”

During his first term, Trump aggressively pushed Europe to increase defense spending and questioned the fairness of the transatlantic NATO alliance – vigorously defended by Biden.

“Whatever approach U.S. leaders take toward Ukraine, Europe will need to step up and we will need to take the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense efforts and macro-financial stability.” , said Olena Prokopenko of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

“Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s victory comes at arguably the worst possible time in terms of Europe’s political and economic shape and its ability to coordinate quickly.”